The Phantom Crystal

Knowledge Can Kill

“How much do you know about an entity called ‘The Phantom’?”

Silence meets my question as Ian stares at me, his drink pausing halfway to his mouth. Ice blue eyes stare at me as his mouth hangs open. Phantom snickers inside my mind as I wait for Ian to process my question.

‘I didn’t break him, did I?’

‘Don’t know, sweetheart, you might have,’ Phantom answers, mirth heavy in his voice.

Nerves spark inside my chest as I place my own drink down.

“Uh, Ian? Are—Are you okay?” I ask a pit in my stomach telling me that maybe this isn’t the greatest idea I have ever had.

Ian jerks as I speak, his eyes refocusing on me and he slowly lowers his drink. My fingers smear some condensation around on my cup as Ian studies me, his gaze hard and focused.

“Where did you hear that name?”

My shoulders tense at Ian’s harsh tone and I scan the older male’s face as I swirl the rest of my strawberry shake.

“I-I told you I saw an article on him online and was curious because I’ve never heard of anyone named ‘The Phantom’ but he seems rather important and—”

“I don’t want you studying any further into him.”

I pause mid-sentence and blink at my sister’s godfather.

“Um, what?”

Ian’s jaw clenches as he stares me down and he runs a hand through his white hair, just barely missing the single streak of black along the side of his head.

“I don’t want you going any deeper into this research. The Phantom is dangerous, for both the living and those who dwell in the Ghost Dimension and I don’t want you getting involved in something like that.” Ian narrows his eyes when I open my mouth to speak. “I mean it, Jack, don’t pursue this. There are some really crazy and really dangerous people who have been doing research on that being that has lead to some highly respected ghost researchers committing crimes and go against their morals. I don’t want that happening to you or for those…FREAKS to come after you.”

My eyes widen and my heart hits my stomach.

“Come after me? Why would they come after me?”

Ian leans forward, his face softening a touch around the eyes.

“Jackie, look at who your parents are. If any of those people find out that you’re interested in the Phantom, they’ll instantly assume that your folks are also interested. You and your sister’s names are public knowledge and anyone who has been keeping up-to-date within the ghost hunting community will know exactly who you are and where you go to school.” Ian shakes his head, picking up one of the fries that I gave him, studying it. “I used to be friends with many people who were interested in learning more about the Phantom and what his purpose was in the Ghost Dimension and many of those friends are either dead, in jail, or clinically insane now. And I don’t want that fate for you,” Ian states softly, reaching across the table and grabs my free hand. “So, please Jackie, just forget about the Phantom and anything else that you’ve learned from that article. The information there isn’t worth the sacrifices or the hurt that would befall you if you dig any deeper.”

‘Oh, well, this is a major problem then,’ I think as I slowly nod my head as I hold Ian’s pleading gaze. ‘What the hell have you gotten me into, Phantom?’ I bite my lip when Phantom remains silent, resisting the urge to roll my eyes as my nerves and guilt dance around in my gut.

“Can…Can I ask one more question about him and then I promise to never bring him up to you ever again,” I state, my voice rising slightly as I almost plead with the older male when a deep scowl forms on his face. His eyes flicker over my face and for a brief second his eyes land on my beanie before returning to my face. Ian sighs.

“Alright, ONE more question, and then we drop this and we can go pick you up some groceries before I bring you back to the dorms.”

I squeeze his hand as a small burst of relief courses through me.

“Okay, thank you. I promise to drop it after this,” I say, pulling my hand back to readjust my hat. “Um, okay, well, from the a-a-article I was reading, it said that the Phantom was trapped inside of this crystal thing and I was just wondering if you knew anything about that?”

Ian’s eyebrow twitches and for a split second, I swear Ian might just get up from the island and leave the kitchen altogether. As his face turns another shade of red, part of me wants to stand up and make sure that he’s breathing. A heavy exhale through his nose tells me that Ian WAS indeed holding his breath. His hand runs through his hair again, messing the usually neat hairstyle up even more. I wince. Man, I really upset him with these questions, didn’t I?

“I don’t even know how the people in that article know about the Phantom’s Crystal or the fact that he’s been trapped inside of it but there are a few things that I do know. One of which is that supposedly one of his siblings are responsible for the fact that he’s trapped inside that crystal and that there have been many attempts in trying to find his crystal because many believe that just by possessing the crystal itself, they can control the entire Ghost Dimension.” Ian scowls. “I don’t necessarily believe that nonsense. A single crystal can’t be the reason why the entities of the Ghost Dimension will follow your command, there has to be more to it. Nobody can say exactly what the crystal looks like or if it IS a crystal in the first place but it’s said that he was placed inside of it because he was becoming too powerful and his siblings were becoming jealous. That he was well-liked among the entities of the Ghost Dimension and many wanted him to be the sole ruler of the Ghost Dimension.”

My eyes widen the longer Ian talks. Nobody knows what the crystal looks like? Except for me, Rae, and Casper now besides Phantom and his imp lackey. My fingers drum on the countertop as I process Ian’s words.

“So, theoretically, nobody knows how to break him out of the crystal?”

Ian twitches harshly at my question and his eyes darken. I shrink down in my seat as Ian stands and throws the rest of his and my food away.

“I think we’re done talking about this now, Jack. I answered your last question. I don’t want you thinking about the Phantom or his crystal at all, let alone how to FREE him.” Ian turns and leans against the counter, crossing his arms as he stares me down. “And whatever you do, DON’T mention this to your folks. I wasn’t the only one to lose friends over the knowledge of the Phantom and I know for a fact that that Skip will not be happy if she finds out that you’ve been researching about this the last week.”

My eyes lower to the island countertop and I follow the random fake cracks that the artists put into the granite. Well, how am I supposed to know that talking about the Phantom is such a taboo topic? I only just learned about him a week ago! And so far all I’ve learned is that there are people and entities out there that want to use him for his power, who might or will KILL me to gain such power, and that just knowing and learning about him might make me go insane. This is just leaving me with far more questions than answers and I don’t even think Phantom knows about half of this.

Ian sighs heavily but I keep my gaze focused down. I flinch when I feel a hand land on my shoulder. I don’t lift my head until Ian squeezes gently and he offers me a small, sad smile.

“I’m sorry, Jackie. I know that you just wanted to understand more about this, but it honestly, it’s just too dangerous for me to even answer your simplest questions and I’m not about to jeopardize your safety. I care about you far too much to do that to you. And as one of your professors, it’s part of my duty to make sure that you don’t do something that could potentially harm you. Even if it means stopping you from researching something.” Ian reaches up and cups my cheek as I frown at him. “So, please, for the sake of my sanity, just forget about this and let's go get you some groceries. Please?”

Sighing, I drop my hands to my lap, hiding them from view as I cross my fingers.

“Yeah, all right. I won’t bring it up again.” I offer the taller male a small smile, my stomach twisting at my partial lie. It’s not like I have a choice in this whole debacle, not when the source of all of my questions and possible demise is housed inside my chest. But I won’t bring it up to IAN or my folks ever again. “Think we could get me some pizza for tonight?”

Ian’s shoulders relax and a genuine smile spreads from his lips to his eyes.

“Sure, kiddo. Whatever you want. My treat.”

I jump down from the barstool as Ian steps back and I quietly follow the ghost hunter back into the foyer.

Welp, today was a bust, but at least I know for a fact now that I’m in some real danger if anyone else finds out about the crystal inside me. I am upset about the fact that I got no answer about how to get the Phantom out of the crystal. Or the fact that now I can’t even go to my two main sources about ghosts and their history.

‘Cheer up, sweetheart,’ Phantom says, reappearing next to me as Ian hands me my jacket from the closet. ‘You have ME and I hold FAR more information than any human resource that you can find. I literally CREATED the Ghost Dimension alongside my brother and sister. Anything you want to know, I can answer for you.’

My eyes narrow as chilly fingers caress the back of my neck and I fight back a shiver.

‘Yes, well, I’m more interested in how to get you OUT of your crystal than the history of the Ghost Dimension. Maybe after we get you out THEN I’ll think more thoroughly about learning more about the Ghost Dimension and its’ inner workings.’

The fingers climb up into my hair and start massaging my scalp as Phantom whispers near my ear.

‘Awe, you care about me,’ he coos and this time I can’t stop the shiver that wracks me as warm air hits the shell of my ear.

I shrug my shoulders, trying to dislodge the ancient entity while also playing it off as pulling on my jacket.

‘Get off. I’m more worried about getting your crystal out of me rather than me actually caring about you. Something about how I might get KILLED by just carrying you around with me,’ I think drily as my face and ears heat up. The Phantom chuckles.

‘Whatever you say, sweetheart. Whatever you say.’

My heart pounds as he purrs the words near my ear again but I choose not to respond as Ian turns back to me, grinning as he asks me where I want to stop for groceries.

I got this. As long as I keep all of this a secret, everything will be fine. Right? Right.

I bite my lip as I enter the heated garage after Ian, merely saying the first place that comes to mind. Target.

I’m gonna die, aren’t I?

Swallowing a whimper, I slide into the passenger seat and buckle myself in.