May 5, 2023
Lot 16 Rosewood Avenue
Havendale, Kingston 19, St. Andrew Parish, Jamaica, W.I.
Morning – Daniel's Bedroom
Daniel slowly awoke to the sound of his mother calling from a distance. He rubbed his eyes, still groggy from sleep, and groaned as her voice reached him.
"Daniel, it's time for school," she called, her tone carrying a sense of urgency.
Daniel sighed, rolling over in bed. Five more minutes, Mom, he thought to himself, unwilling to leave the warmth of his bed.
"Daniel, you're going to be late if you don't get up now!" his mother insisted, her voice growing firmer.
Still half-asleep, Daniel stretched and let out a long, exhausted yawn. "I'm too tired for this…"
Kitchen – Daniel's House
His mother, with a bright smile on her face, handed him his school bag as he made his way downstairs.
"Have a nice day at school, my little snuggle bug," she said affectionately.
Daniel, feeling slightly embarrassed, took the bag and shot her a side glance. "Mom, I'm sixteen. Can we stop with the baby names?"
She chuckled, completely unfazed. "Nope! You'll always be my snuggle bug."
Before Daniel could react, she reached out and pinched his cheek playfully.
"Moooom!" he groaned, swatting her hand away as his face burned with embarrassment. "I'm sixteen! You can't keep doing that!"
She just laughed. "Oh, but I can. It's a mother's right."
Daniel let out an exaggerated sigh, grabbing his bag. "Alright, before you embarrass me any further, I really have to go."
"Take care, sweetie!" she called as he rushed out the door.
Outside Greenwood Academy's Front Entrance
Approaching the entrance of Greenwood Academy, Daniel spotted his friend Wane, who was standing impatiently by the gate, looking frustrated.
"Yo, Daniel! Where have you been?" Wane called, his voice full of exasperation. "I've been waiting for you in FallenBlade for like thirty minutes. I had to solo Zegred… the Planet Emperor."
Daniel stopped in his tracks, a bit surprised. "Oh yeah, I had a huge study session. Sorry… Wait, you soloed Zegred?"
Wane shook his head, still looking disheartened. "Yeah! It took me nine hours, and I nearly lost my sanity doing it, too."
Daniel couldn't help but laugh a little. "Jeez. Did you at least get his drop? The Blade of a Thousand Corpses?"
Wane's face darkened as he sighed. "No. I never want to touch that game ever again…" he muttered, his expression drained and defeated.
"It was that bad, huh?" Daniel said, rubbing the back of his head.
The Walk to Class
"Hey, guys!"
Briana, a cheerful girl from the countryside who had recently moved to the city on a scholarship to Greenwood Academy, walked toward them with a friendly wave.
"What are you up to?" Briana greeted them.
Daniel glanced at Briana. "Nothing much. Wane is just having a mental breakdown."
Briana raised an eyebrow in concern. "What? Is he okay?"
Daniel shrugged. "Yeah, he's fine. Give him until lunchtime, and he'll be back to his old self. So, what did you want to talk about?"
Briana smiled. "Oh, I just came to say hi and see what you guys were doing. But it's class time now, so I'll be going. See ya!"
"Later!" Daniel called as Briana waved and walked away.
Classroom
The classroom was quiet except for the faint scratching of chalk on the board as the teacher wrote something. Her back was turned as she spoke about the history of the war.
"Aetherius and his angels came down soon after the Nyxborn attacked…" the teacher said, unaware of the disruption that was about to occur.
Wane, meanwhile, was fidgeting with his phone, his eyes scanning the screen until something caught his attention. His face suddenly lit up with excitement.
Classroom Disruption
Wane couldn't contain his excitement any longer. With a loud shout, he blurted out, "Whaaaaat?!"
The entire class jumped in surprise, and the teacher whipped around in disbelief.
"What the—Wane, please refrain from making loud outbursts in class," she scolded.
Wane sheepishly scratched the back of his head. "Sorry, my bad."
Daniel raised an eyebrow, a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. "Not depressed anymore?"
Wane grinned, his eyes sparkling with enthusiasm. "Bro, the Archangels are hosting a tournament in Jamaica next week!"
Daniel blinked in surprise. "Really?"
The Dream of Becoming an Archangel
Wane leaned forward, practically glowing with excitement. "Yeah! We have to compete in this—it's my dream to become an Archangel."
"Yeah, we should. But I don't know if my mom would agree; she wants me to be a lawyer like her. She's not big on fighting or violence—it took my dad four years just to convince her to let him teach me karate."
Wane nodded in understanding, his expression turning a bit more thoughtful.
"Mine are similar in that sense. I definitely see my old man wanting me to be a doctor and join the family business. But that day when I met your dad and he told us about his time in the military… I was just inspired. I want to help and protect people, Daniel—it's my calling. And this tournament is my one-way ticket to achieving that."
The Bell Rings
The sharp RIIIIIIING! of the bell reverberated through the classroom, cutting through the chatter. Daniel pushed his chair back, slinging his bag over one shoulder as his gaze shifted to Wane.
"Guess we've got some convincing to do," Daniel said, a subtle smile tugging at his lips.
"Yeah," Wane replied, his grin widening, a spark of excitement lighting up his eyes.