May 5, 2023, 6:00 PM
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 yelled, practically vibrating with frustration.
"I've been waiting for you in FallenBlade for over an hour, dude. I had to solo Zegred."
Daniel stopped in his tracks, a bit surprised.
"Oh, sorry, I had a huge study session.... 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."
"Nine hours!" Daniel emphasized, "Did you sleep? Or got his drop?" he questioned, wondering if this game is worth grinding
Wane's face darkened as he sighed.
"No. I never want to touch that game ever again..."
He muttered, his expression drained and defeated.
"No, we must not give up. Tonight, I will hop on, and I'll invite Briana too. We need all the help we can get." Daniel said with determination.
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.
"The global population collapsed from 3 billion to 1.5 billion by 1962 due to Nyxborn invasions...." the teacher said, unaware of the disruption that was about to occur.
Wane was fidgeting with his phone, his eyes scanning the screen until something caught his attention. His face suddenly lit up with excitement.
"Yoooooooooo!"
The entire class jumped in surprise, and the teacher whipped around in disbelief.
"What?.. Wane! Why are you shouting?" the teacher turned around and looked at Wane with a puzzled expression.
"Sorry, miss. Sorry, my bad." Wane apologized, sheepishly scratching the back of his head.
"Dude what the hell, why are you shouting? I was just about to fall asleep." Daniel looked at Wane, slightly frustrated.
Wane grinned, his eyes sparkling with enthusiasm.
"Dude, the Archangels are hosting a tournament in Jamaica next week!"
"What?" Daniel muttered.
Wane leaned forward, practically glowing with excitement.
"Yeah! We have to compete in this—it's my dream to become an Archangel."
"What... we? who—, dude, just talk to me later about this." Daniel brushed it off, resting his head on the desk
The RIIIIIIING! of the bell reverberated through the classroom.
"OMG. Just let me rest ." Daniel screamed in frustration.
"Hey, so...." Wane looks at Daniel, still smiling from excitement
"Let's get our lunch first,"
Daniel said as he put his books in his bag
"Hey,"
One student said to another, who was zipping up his backpack.
"Did you hear? The Nyxborn are starting to pop up again."
The other kid paused mid-motion.
"Umm, maybe."
"Yeah... some low-ranking ones were spotted out in the countryside. But the army took care of them fast. "
"Damn, that's crazy." The boy replied.