Daniel got in the car after leaving the Awakened Association and headed to Sanctis Park—a place where he, Joe, and Linor used to hang out back in the day.
The ride from the Awakened Association to the park took about ten minutes. Once he arrived, he parked the car and walked toward their old hangout spot.
It was around noon, and the weather was pretty warm, so the park was relatively empty. He strolled for a bit until he finally spotted a figure in the distance.
"Hey, Daniel! Over here!" the person waved at him.
Daniel smiled when he saw the guy and walked over. Joe, excited to see his old friend, moved to hug him, but Daniel dodged and warned him not to try that again.
"Man, your mind's still messed up, huh?" Joe didn't seem to care. He was used to how Daniel acted.
Daniel glanced at Joe—average height, blond hair, brown eyes. Though it was obvious he'd put on a bit more weight.
Other than looking a bit chubbier, Joe hadn't changed much.
"It's been a while," Daniel said as he sat on a bench next to him.
"Same here. I didn't expect so much to happen after I got back from abroad," Joe laughed and sat down beside him.
"I thought our reunion would be a bit more exciting," Joe added with a hint of disappointment.
"Well, it is what it is. You shouldn't expect excitement or enthusiasm from me," Daniel shrugged.
Joe chuckled and looked at his friend. Daniel was still the same guy—he hadn't changed one bit.
"So, how've you been? Was your time abroad good?"
"Haha, you know me. Nothing can really ruin my mood. But about the trip... it was super boring."
"Oh? I thought you'd have fun over there," Daniel raised an eyebrow. Joe was one of those guys who was like a walking energy bomb.
It felt odd to hear that Joe hadn't enjoyed his trip.
"My dad made sure I sat down and studied instead of having fun," Joe sighed. If it weren't for his father, he probably would've had a great time.
But the old man had hired a bunch of guards to watch him, making sure he focused on his studies. It felt like a curse.
"What about you? Though honestly, you don't seem to have changed at all," Joe gave Daniel a curious look.
"Me? Not much really. I just managed to awaken," Daniel said with a smirk, looking at Joe to see his over-the-top shocked reaction.
But to his surprise, there was no shock on Joe's face… Where was the dramatic reaction he'd expected?
"Pfft—hahaha! Look at that dumb expression of yours. You were expecting me to freak out, weren't you?" Joe burst out laughing and teased him.
"Damn it, you bastard. Don't tell me you already knew?" Daniel groaned and had no choice but to admit defeat.
"Of course," Joe said proudly, puffing out his chest.
"From where? Since when, even?" Daniel didn't know whether to laugh or cry. How had this guy found out about his awakening?
"The news about the Colosseum Dungeon clearing reached the capital, you know? Man, you wouldn't believe how shocked I was when I saw your name in the report."
"Guess I overlooked that," Daniel sighed. Joe was never the type to watch TV, let alone the news.
But it seemed like that old habit of his had changed a little.
"Anyway, what happened? How did you awaken? If there's a way, tell me so I can try it too," Joe asked excitedly, slapping Daniel on the shoulder.
Daniel explained everything that happened on the day of his second awakening—how he had gone after Alice and on the way back, a dimensional rift occurred, and he nearly died.
"So you went through all that... Glad you're okay."
Daniel nodded. For him, it didn't feel like a big deal, but from someone else's perspective, it was definitely terrifying.
"What about your aunt and Alice? Are they okay? Didn't your aunt try to stop you from becoming an Awakened?" Joe asked, more curious now.
As far as he remembered, Daniel's mother never liked Awakened people much.
"Well, my mom almost killed me, and after the dungeon news came out, she didn't let me sleep a full night at home. I had to crash on the rooftop," Daniel said with a bitter smile.
Joe, instead of feeling sorry, actually laughed harder. He'd always wanted to witness Aunt Liana beat up Daniel, but this bastard of a friend always acted like a good kid.
"As for Alice, she's in school now. And no, she didn't have any problem with it. In fact, she was really happy."
"I see. You told me before that your sister awakened too and even wanted to join Fallen Sun Guild. What happened with that? If they rejected her, let me know—I'll buy out the whole damn guild," Joe puffed out his chest again with pride.
"She got in and even became the student of one of the guild's top Awakened. But she has to move to the capital," Daniel said and knocked Joe on the head.
"So she's moving to the capital?"
"We're moving to the capital," Daniel corrected him.
"Oh? Aunt Liana agreed? Your mom's really changed. Well, that's great news because I'm heading back to the capital soon too. I thought we'd get separated again, but this way we can revive our two-man team!"
Daniel laughed and nodded. They talked about all sorts of things. Daniel asked about the stuff Linor had told him, and though Joe was a bit surprised, he answered.
Daniel also told him that it seemed like James might be trying to kill Linor—or maybe it was just a coincidence.
"Nothing's ever a coincidence. That bastard James was always petty, remember?" Joe said angrily, remembering James.
"I'm just surprised he didn't come for me first," Daniel said thoughtfully. Then he added with a laugh, "Maybe he's saving me for the finale."
"Hmph! When you get to the capital, we'll teach him a lesson together."
Daniel didn't deny it and nodded. He definitely would face James eventually—but only when he was sure he could handle the consequences of beating him up.
"Anyway, I gotta go pick up my sister. Let's keep talking on the way," Daniel checked his phone and stood up.
Joe nodded and stood up with him, but then Daniel's phone rang.
He looked at the number—it was from the Awakened Academy, where his sister studied.
"Hello? Daniel Noir? Sorry to bother you... there's been an incident involving your sister. Please don't worry... but if possible, come here as soon as you can."