Michael shuddered uncontrollably as Danny's voice continued to reverberate in his head. There was no doubt. Danny was back!
His heart began to beat wildly, and he started loosening it. Michael began to weep like a little kid. That was unlike him, but Michael couldn't help it. His brother returned!
[Why are you crying? And where am I? It's not possible to get summoned twice. What happened?]
Daniel was more composed than Michael. He had always been. However, Daniel Fang was also confused. It shouldn't be possible for him to talk to Michael right now. He was dead, and Michael was alive.
The period after he died the second time was confusing. He could remember something happening, but Danny was unsure what that was. It was almost as if some memories had been ripped out of his head.
"I'm just happy that you're back," Michael said, trying to control his stream of tears.
He stopped crying after a few minutes but continued smiling from ear to ear.
"After you died in the Lord Rift, I was rewarded with your Soultraits and a Miniature Coffin Keychain that contained your Living Soul. I didn't know about that until mom returned to take your soul to throw you back into the reincarnation cycle. I couldn't accept that and decided to bring you back on my own," Michael stopped momentarily, trying to find the right words.
"I sensed that you were unwilling to depart into the afterlife, so…I nourished your Soul in the keychain and removed the Curse that threatened to devour you with Mother's help before storing you in one of my Soul Traits. Once your soul regains its full power, I will put you into a suitable vessel, resurrecting you properly."
Michael figured that most of the things he said would be too much for Danny to handle, but the words flowed out of his mouth like a river. Michael could barely seal his lips when he noticed that his brother hadn't said anything for a while.
[Mother…returned?]
"Oh. Yeah… She came back, but it's not because she missed us," Michael sighed deeply. He recalled the day his mother returned and shook his head.
"I'm not sure if you'll like what I have to say, but you want to hear it, right?"
[Tell me, Michael. Tell me everything about mother.]
Michael smiled sadly. He had already been in so much pain because of their mother. His brother didn't have to suffer like him. That wasn't necessary.
Michael didn't want to hear his brother's sad voice or how hurt he was merely a few minutes after they reunited. Unfortunately, he knew Danny better than most. His brother would torment him until he revealed everything.
"Alright. I will tell you…"
In the next 30 minutes, Michael told his brother everything he knew about his mother, the Geas, the Nest, his encounters with his mother, and everything she said to him. He didn't change a single word she said.
[She didn't even apologize for leaving you behind?]
"...for leaving us behind…" Michael uttered in a whisper.
He cleared his throat and forced a smile, "But she helped me remove your Curse. I hate acknowledging it, but I wouldn't have made it without her."
[I'm glad that you've grown stronger. I was certain that my life was over, but it looks like your power grew enough to affect the Origin Expanse. I'm proud of you, brother!]
Michael had sensed Danny's will to live in the past, but he was relieved to hear that his brother wasn't mad. Their family was a mess, but at least the brothers could depend on each other.
[But it feels like mother's situation is not that simple. The Geas prevents her from revealing certain information, yet she still revealed some information that may come in handy. She tried to ignore the Geas to tell you important information.]
It was like it used to be. Daniel Fang was the more reasonable of the brothers. He was Michael's voice of reasoning and the reason Michael could stay composed now that he thought about his mother.
[Forget about mother for a moment. How have you been? Are you doing fine? Are you still in the Untamed Jungle, or did you move elsewhere? Do you have many enemies, or did you avoid conflicts?]
Michael broke into a genuine smile upon hearing his brother's questions. It was nice to hear Danny's voice and concern again. He missed it.
The rest of the day passed in the blink of an eye. Michael informed his brother about the Untamed Jungle, the Zentika Empire, his fights with the Zentika Empire's army, the Kitsun Lord, and his trouble with the Savannah Region.
Michael didn't let out any details. He answered Danny's questions and told his brother all about his Soultraits, the Cursed Seals, the Winged Serpent, and his friends. Danny asked a lot about Michael's female friends. It felt like Danny interrogated his younger brother about his potential love interests, but Michael only shrugged.
He could say that he wasn't interested in any of the women he had gotten to know since he manifested his War Rune, but Michael was unsure if that was the case. Michael didn't pay much attention to dating because he had been too busy with his work as Lord. At first, he struggled to grow stronger, only to lose his brother suddenly. He managed to get back onto his feet, but things changed with Danny's death.
Michael was so focused on getting stronger and struggling to survive against the never-ending waves of enemies that he started to neglect his friends.
Thinking about his friends, Michael felt guilty. Recalling Maria's particular behavior, he felt even worse. Only now did he realize that Maria might be interested in him. Or she had been interested.
"Do I like her though?" Michael mumbled.
Maria was bound to become the strongest healer in the Trilance—maybe she was already the best healer. Yet, instead of being arrogant and full of herself, Maria was genuinely nice. She cared about the people surrounding her and would do her utmost to help them.
But that didn't mean Michael liked her romantically.
He liked Maria's kindness and genuine care. It was great that she wasn't arrogant. However, that didn't mean there was a spark between them. The Soultrait Shard of Archangel's Grace didn't mean anything either. It meant that their Soultraits were compatible, which was not further difficult because Michael was compatible with all Soultraits. At least, that's what he guessed.
Being her Primal Amplifier was not equivalent to being her destined lover.
[Do you think about someone more often than others? Who are you the most thankful for? Is there someone you wish to repay, no matter the cost? Even if it inconveniences you…you would do all for them?]
'Are you my wedding counselor or what?!' Michael was about to ask, but his lips were sealed. He thought about Danny's question seriously for a moment and shrugged.
"Do you wish to find out if there is someone as important to me as you are?" Michael frowned, "There is nobody like that–..."
An image formed in his mind, and his frown deepened.
[There is someone. I knew it!!]
"Danny!"
[Yeah?]
"Shut up!"
[...]
Michael fell deep in thought. The person he'd imagined was not yet as important as Danny. However, Michael had to acknowledge that he would do a lot to repay her for all she had done to help him.
Did that mean that he liked her?
'Alice? Really?' Michael wondered, 'Do I like her?'
