It was a hot Saturday morning when Daniel woke up to the sound of a notification on his phone.

  He shifted in bed, stretched out his arm, grabbed the device, and brought it close to his face, tapping the screen while the room was still swallowed in darkness.

  The screen’s brightness blinded him for a moment, but once his vision cleared, he read the message—and a smile formed on his face.

  It was Júlia, letting him know she’d be spending the weekend in Florianópolis to visit her parents. She asked if he’d like to meet up for lunch.

  Daniel gripped his phone and replied yes. Júlia ended the conversation with a waving kitten emoji.

  He set the phone aside and tried to fall back asleep, but a mix of excitement and nervous energy kept him from resting.

  It had been a while since he’d seen Júlia in person. Their relationship had dwindled to a few message exchanges during the week. And that made him realize that, ever since the end of the Dark Age Team, his life had become nothing more than working mornings and afternoons on weekdays, and playing New Avalon at night and on weekends.

  I need to get out of the house, see people, interact with actual human beings, he thought, then checked the time—there were still a few hours before the meeting.

  His eyes drifted to the immersion pod. His instinct screamed at him to jump in and sink into the game world, but the dust in his room and the pile of dirty clothes on his gaming chair told him otherwise.

  Daniel let out a long, weary sigh. Saturday was apartment-cleaning day. So he got out of bed, stretched, and prepared for his morning routine.

  Hours later, the dust was gone, the floor was swept, the bathroom cleaned, and the laundry done. Relieved to have finished everything earlier than expected, he dropped onto the couch in the living room.

  His phone buzzed again. He stretched to grab it from the coffee table. It was another message from Júlia: “Dani! I forgot to tell you, but Cris bugged me nonstop to come along. Sorry for the late notice, but he really wanted to visit the island again, so… can we stop by your place?” The message ended with a puppy emoji pressing its front paws together in apology, followed by a cat blowing a kiss.

  Daniel replied with an image of a dog rolling its eyes but giving a reluctant thumbs-up. But her next message made him smile again: she had turned an old clip of one of their tournament victories into a custom emoji—showing the two of them running toward each other and hugging, followed by their team and fans rushing in like an avalanche around them.

  He placed the phone on his chest, draped an arm over his forehead, and stared at the ceiling. Moments ago he’d been thrilled at the chance to see her again, but knowing Cris would be there meant he wouldn’t get the intimate moment he had hoped for.

  That thought made him press a pillow to his face to muffle a scream of frustration. As much as he liked the Red Crows’ captain, Cristiano had chosen the absolute worst possible day to visit.

  Daniel stayed sprawled on the couch, stewing. As time passed, the frustration slowly faded, making room for a more reasonable thought.

  It had also been a very long time since he’d seen Cristiano. They definitely had a lot to catch up on since the national finals earlier that year.

  Now calmer, Daniel grabbed his phone and sent Júlia a message: “Where are we going to have lunch?”

  Her reply came quickly: “You want to eat out? The three of us? At the same place? Are you crazy? We’re grabbing lunch at that underground joint and taking it to your place. Want your usual?”

  My usual? He reread the message, pleased she still remembered, then replied: “Yes.”

  She typed back: “Okay. We’re heading there now. Talk to you in person soon.” Then she went offline.

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  Daniel exhaled and set the phone back on the table. A thousand thoughts ran through his mind—from the innocent to the indecent—but in the end, the dominant feeling was happiness, boosted by the excitement of seeing old friends again.

  Since the guests were bringing lunch, all he could do was wait. But since the two wouldn’t take long, logging into New Avalon was out of the question. So he turned on the TV to watch something to pass the time.

  Luckily, one of his favorite shows had just started.

  The TV displayed a middle-aged man with bleached hair, wearing a striped blue-and-gold suit and holding an ultra-thin tablet. He stepped toward the camera and announced: “Those were the morning’s highlights. And today, my beloved fans, we have a very special interview. You won’t believe this, but my wonderful team invited none other than the most beautiful woman alive; the starlit warrior; the owner of the most enviable accent; the one who not only leads her team but founded the entire organization herself. Of course, with all these clues, you already know exactly who I’m—”

  “What a dramatic buildup just to introduce that fanatic,” Daniel muttered, well aware of how good Kronos was at selling himself. There was a reason he was known as the God of Hype.

  “…I’m talking about none other than our favorite cearense, Anika, from Starfall. And if you’re as excited as I am, her interview starts in one hour—at 1:30 p.m. Now, enjoy this week’s highlights. See you after the break!”

  Kronos signed off and the transition jingle played. It was the perfect opportunity for Daniel to catch up on the latest New Avalon news.

  Time passed, and Daniel found himself pulled into the show. His eyes stayed glued to the screen, absorbing every tactic and strategy from the highlight reels of off-circuit tournaments.

  Then the show displayed the teams qualified for the World Championship. A specialized reporter presented the segment. And when she put up the roster representing Brazil, Daniel’s heart almost stopped.

  Right in the middle of the six players was Cristiano, listed under his avatar’s name: Crown. But what made Daniel seethe in rage was the player to his left—Gustavo—the one who had inherited Dante’s legendary hammer, shield, and armor.

  The image shifted from the players to their avatars. It was almost comical how much Crown stood out with his high-tier gear.

  He wore a long white-and-blue gown, topped with a cloak that reached the floor. His right hand—raised at chest height—held a massive spellbook, the weapon of conjurers.

  Since the last time Daniel had seen Crown, only one piece of gear had changed: his headpiece. He used to wear a huge pointed gray hat, but now the avatar lived up to the name—his head was adorned with a silver crown that matched perfectly with the avatar’s long white hair.

  Daniel’s eyes then locked onto the one on Crown’s left, Gustavo’s avatar, displaying Dante’s loadout. Just seeing the Amethyst Hammer in the hands of a mediocre player made Daniel grit his teeth in fury.

  The program moved on to the next team’s roster, but before Daniel could take a peek, the doorbell rang.

  “Finally,” he said, pushing himself off the couch.

  He stretched and walked to the apartment entrance where the intercom hung. Bringing his face near the speaker, he asked, “Who is it?”

  “Me,” a female voice replied.

  “One moment.”

  Daniel pressed the button to unlock the building door. The click echoed through the speaker, followed by her voice, “It opened.”

  He returned to the living room, hoping to catch the next lineup, but he arrived just in time for a commercial break. When it ended, the doorbell rang again. He hurried to the entrance, opened the door, and welcomed his visitors.

  Júlia looked radiant as always, a happy expression on her face. Her wavy brown hair fell neatly over her shoulders. She wore casual clothes—a white T-shirt with rolled sleeves reaching her elbows, a black skirt that stopped above her knees, and light-brown sandals.

  Daniel stepped closer. They greeted each other with a kiss on the cheek. Then he took the bags she was holding. The smell of the food seeped through the bags, making his hunger spike.

  Daniel turned to the guy beside her, Cristiano, a 1.90-meter-tall (6′3″) man, thin as a skeleton, with long black hair and eyes that radiated constant boredom.

  He wore a white T-shirt with red trim and a red crow embroidered on its chest. His tight, worn-out jeans emphasized his thin frame, while his green sneakers ruined his outfit entirely.

  To make up for the look, he carried a box of Cervosa, the famous homebrew beer of his father.

  “Wearing the uniform even on weekends?” Daniel asked.

  “…gotta wear the corporation’s colors,” Cristiano said. He took a deep breath and added with a serious expression, “Where’s my kiss on the cheek?”

  “Very funny,” the host shot back, trying not to laugh. “Come in. Make yourself at home. You can leave the beer on the counter next to the sink.”

  “Understood, captain,” his old friend replied as he stepped inside.

  By the time Daniel reached the kitchen, Júlia had already set the table. Then she helped Cris put the beers in the fridge—though three bottles went straight into the freezer to chill faster.

  She looked at the table, then at the boys, and asked, “Shall we eat?”