Chapter 35: Condene's Haunt
It was a quiet evening in the Team Vapor hideout, one of those rare peaceful moments that felt like they might last forever. Vapor lay sprawled out on the couch, flipping through TV channels lazily. Mira sat cross-legged on the floor, tinkering with some mysterious gadget she’d cobbled together from leftover parts.
Nearby, Geo was raiding the kitchen, muttering about finding something “decent to eat,” while Valore leaned against the wall, tossing a small fireball from hand to hand like it was a stress ball. The occasional sound of bickering between Acre and Austin echoed faintly from down the hallway.
“This is weird,” Vapor mumbled, tossing the remote aside.
“What’s weird?” Mira asked, not looking up from her project.
“Life being so... boring. No robots, no explosions, no Wousay trying to destroy the world. I feel like I’m in a filler episode.”
Mira smirked. “You’re complaining about not getting attacked? Okay, let me know how that works out for you.”
Before Vapor could retort, the lights flickered ominously.
“Geo!” he shouted. “Are you messing with the fuse box again?”
Geo’s head popped out of the kitchen. “I don’t even know where the fuse box is!”
The temperature in the room dropped abruptly, and a heavy silence fell. A faint glow began to appear in the middle of the room, swirling and growing brighter until the outline of a figure emerged.
“Uh... is this normal?” Mira whispered, standing up and backing away slowly.
Vapor’s heart nearly stopped when the figure became clearer—a ghostly girl glowing a soft green, her translucent form shimmering faintly in the dim light. Her long Light Brown Hair Reminiscent of Vapor's younger selve was tied back in a loose ponytail, and her silver eyes sparkled with the same teasing mischief he remembered so well.
“Condene?” Vapor whispered, his voice cracking.
The ghostly figure of his identical twin sister smiled. “Hey, Jhonny.”
Mira blinked. “Wait. Jhonny? Since when is that your name?”
Vapor sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “My name is literally Jhon Vapor Brooke Revival. Whaddya expect?”
Mira raised her hands in mock surrender. “Alright, alright. No need to get defensive, Jhonny.”
Before Vapor could respond, Condene chuckled, floating closer. “Still the same, huh, Jhonny? Quick on the comeback, but still as easy to fluster as ever.” Her gaze shifted, scanning him up and down.
Her smirk widened. “Wow, you really leaned into the whole graceful look, huh? All those curves and that perfect posture... it’s like looking at a glamorized version of me!”
Vapor’s face turned red as he threw his hands up defensively. “Hey! I didn’t choose to look like this! It’s genetics!”
“Sure, sure,” Condene teased, twirling a lock of her spectral hair. “But I gotta admit, you’re pulling it off. If I had legs again, I’d probably rock it just as well as you do.”
Mira stared between them. “Wait... identical twins? That actually explains so much. No wonder you look like you stepped out of a fashion magazine.”
Geo wandered back in with a sandwich in hand, stopping short when he saw Condene. “Uh... Vapor? Why is there a glowing green ghost in the middle of the room?”
Vapor sighed. “This is my sister, Condene. She’s... visiting, I guess?”
“Visiting from where, exactly?” Valore asked, crossing her arms and narrowing her eyes.
“The afterlife,” Condene said cheerfully, waving at everyone. “Nice to meet you all! I’ve been keeping tabs on Jhonny here for years. Gotta say, you’ve all been doing a great job keeping him out of trouble. Mostly.”
Mira tilted her head. “Wait. How do you even know what’s been going on? And how do you know about us?”
Condene shrugged. “You pick up things here and there. The afterlife isn’t all clouds and harps, you know. Sometimes you get bored and eavesdrop on the living.”
Vapor crossed his arms, his silver eyes narrowing. “Okay, but how did you get here? And—seriously—how did you get my IP address?!”
Condene smirked. “Nice try, but I’m not telling you that. Let’s just say I’ve got connections.”
Before Vapor could press her further, Condene’s expression softened. “But seriously, Jhonny... I came because I needed to see you. I wanted to tell you how proud I am of you.”
Vapor froze, his sass and defensiveness melting away. “Proud? Of me?”
“Of course,” Condene said, floating closer. “You’ve grown so much. You’re a hero now—saving lives, stopping villains, protecting the world. Mom and Dad would’ve been so proud of you, too.”
At the mention of their parents, Vapor’s heart ached. He hadn’t thought about them in a long time—he’d buried that pain deep, focusing on moving forward.
“Do they... do they know?” he asked hesitantly.
“They know,” Condene said softly. “They’re here, too.”
The room seemed to brighten slightly as two more ghostly figures appeared—a man and a woman, both glowing the same soft green as Condene.
“Vapor,” his mother said, her voice warm and gentle. “We’ve been watching over you all this time. You’ve made us so proud.”
“You’ve become the man we always knew you could be,” his father added, his smile filled with pride.
Vapor’s vision blurred with tears. “I... I wish I could’ve done more. I wish I could’ve saved you. All of you.”
His mother shook her head. “You’ve done more than enough. You’ve carried on, even when it was hard. That’s all we ever wanted for you.”
Condene placed a ghostly hand on his shoulder, her touch sending a comforting warmth through him. “You’ve done more than anyone could’ve expected, Jhonny. And you’ve still got so much ahead of you. Don’t let the past hold you back.”
Vapor wiped his eyes, nodding. “Thank you. All of you.”
As the ghosts began to fade, Condene gave him one last teasing grin. “By the way, next time someone compliments your flair, just say thank you. Own it, Jhonny. You’ve got style.”
Vapor couldn’t help but laugh. “I’ll try to remember that.”
And with that, the room returned to normal, the warmth of his family’s love lingering in the air. Mira broke the silence with a smirk.
“So... are we just not going to talk about the fact that your twin sister literally roasted you from the afterlife?”
Vapor groaned. “Don’t start, Mira.”
But deep down, he couldn’t stop smiling.
