Dual Awakening: Elemental and Beast Transformation Paths

Mistvale Town, Mistwood Waterfall.

Ren and the others were having lunch in a wooden gazebo. After playing together at the waterfall for more than an hour, they decided to rest.

Even though they were eating, the air was still filled with happy chatter and laughter. They were not from strict, wealthy families, so they kept talking and laughing as they ate.

"I’m full!" David rubbed his stomach as he grinned in satisfaction.

*Click...

The sound of camera shutters echoed in their ears.

David instantly turned to Lily. "Did you just take a picture of me?"

"Haha." Lily laughed loudly at the result. "Zara, look! He seems like a lazy panda after eating."

"Hehe." Virelia giggled softly.

"Hey, delete it!" David tried to snatch her phone, but failed.

"Zara, create a group chat quickly. I want to share this photo." Lily refused to delete it.

"Alright." Virelia agreed right away.

A moment later, a group chat was created.

Its name was Food Squad.

The corner of Ren’s lips twitched as he read the group name. "Why did you name it like that?"

"We love food, so I think this is the best name." After saying that, Virelia turned to David, Lily, and Elara. "Don’t you guys think so?"

"Yes." Lily and David gave her a thumbs-up.

Elara didn’t say anything, but she nodded her head.

"I... I see." Ren could not deny it, as he loved food as well.

The group continued chatting.

Once the air was no longer hot, they played in the water again.

Like before, happy laughter often escaped from their mouths.

Several visitors even got into the water after seeing them because they made the pool look like such a fun place.

At 04:30 pm, they left the waterfall.

They didn’t go home immediately.

Instead, they went to a restaurant that had a beautiful sunset view.

It was their first time going on vacation together, so they wanted to make a lot of happy memories.

*Click...

Lily took a picture of the food and drinks on the table.

After she saw the result, she quickly turned her camera toward Virelia and the others.

Virelia made a peace sign, David grinned widely, Elara gave a small, shy smile, and Ren simply looked at the camera with his lips curling slightly.

Once she took it, she raised her phone and included herself in the photo.

After that, they started eating together.

"Zara, do you often come to this restaurant?" Lily asked curiously.

"This is my third time coming here," Virelia replied.

"How did you know this place?" David threw a question at her.

"From the internet," Virelia answered. "This restaurant went viral last year. I was captivated by the sunset view, so I decided to visit this place."

"Is the view that good?" Lily asked with a curious expression.

"Yes." Virelia picked up her smartphone and showed her the video. "Here, watch this."

"Whoa!" Lily’s eyes widened, and her mouth dropped open.

David extended his right hand. "Lily, let me see it."

Lily handed him the phone.

"Whoa!" David wore the same expression as Lily. "I suddenly can’t wait to see the sunset."

He returned it to Virelia.

"We can ask the waiter to help take a picture of us later." Virelia put her phone in her bag.

"Great idea!" Lily and David said in unison.

Shortly after they finished eating, the sun was starting to set.

They captured the moment themselves first. After that, they asked one of the waiters to take pictures for them.

"Zara, this photo is great!" Lily showed her the picture of them with the sunset in the background. "Let’s use it as our group chat profile picture."

"Sure," Virelia agreed right away.

Then, they chatted again.

At 06:30 pm, they went home.

----

Ren’s House, His Bedroom.

Ren was currently sitting on the bed with his back leaning against the headboard. After taking a shower, he decided to learn the Lightning Bolt magic.

He wanted to master it quickly since it could help him defeat his opponent faster.

’The formation is not as hard as I thought.’

As he studied the magic circle, his phone kept buzzing, signaling that he had received multiple messages.

’Hmm?’

He picked up his phone and checked it.

’Group chat?’

The moment he opened the group, he saw multiple pictures being sent.

They were photos from the waterfall and the restaurant.

[Lily: Guys, do you see David’s expression in that photo? It’s so funny. Haha.]

[David: It was your fault, Lily. You pushed me into the water.]

Virelia, Ren, and Elara sent laughing emojis.

[David: Ren, don’t laugh. I have a funny video of you.]

He quickly sent a short video of Ren falling into the water. His expression was hilarious, especially when the plastic ball hit his face.

The corner of Ren’s lips twitched as he watched it.

[Lily: Haha. It was so funny.]

[David: Ren, are you hiding in the corner feeling embarrassed now?]

He sent a chuckling emoji.

[Virelia: Our special awakener got bullied by a plastic ball. Haha.]

Lily and David reacted to her message with laughing emojis. Elara didn’t give a reaction, but she giggled in her room.

[Ren: When did you record that video? How could the timing be so perfect?]

[David: I could see the future. I knew it would happen.]

He was joking around.

The chat continued.

Due to how interesting it was, Ren forgot about learning magic.

At 07:15 pm, Ren got out of his bed and headed to Elara’s room.

"Elara..." he called out.

A moment later, she opened the door.

"Let’s buy ice cream together." The atmosphere was good, so he wanted them to enjoy it together.

"Alright." She quickly grabbed her jacket and put it on.

On their way to the convenience store, they talked about many things. When he saw a couple walking hand in hand, a desire to mimic it arose within him.

While keeping the same expression, he reached for her right hand and held it gently.

Elara’s heart beat faster as her face turned slightly red.

The surrounding area suddenly transformed into a beautiful garden, and the moon seemed to shine only for them.

It was like the night was trying its best to create a romantic moment for them.

A moment later, they reached their destination.

"Vanilla flavor, right?" He remembered it was the flavor she always chose.

"Un." She nodded.

On his way to the cashier, he suddenly stopped his footsteps. "Let’s buy some snacks, too."

Elara nodded once more.

Once he placed them on the counter, the elderly cashier immediately scanned the items.

"Young man, are you taking your girlfriend out for a walk?" The elderly woman mistook them for a couple since they stepped into the store hand in hand.

Elara was startled by her question and quickly shifted her gaze to him, waiting to see his response.

"The atmosphere is great tonight, so it would be a waste if we didn’t enjoy it." He didn’t try to correct her words.

Elara’s lips curled up into a smile as she lowered her head.

’He didn’t deny it.’

Her heart blossomed with happiness.

"You are right," The elderly cashier replied. "Tonight is so beautiful. The full moon, the gentle breeze, and the calm air; everything is perfect. It’s like tonight is a special night."

"I agree with you, elder." This was the reason why Ren took Elara for a walk.

"You two look perfect together." The elderly woman put their snacks into a plastic bag. "I hope your relationship lasts forever."

"Thank you for your blessing, elder." After paying, Ren took the plastic bag.

"Be careful on your way home." The elderly woman smiled softly.

Ren and Elara bowed slightly before leaving the store. Once they saw a wooden bench under a street lamp, they immediately sat down there.

Even though they were not in a luxurious place, their hearts still throbbed with happiness. They were with someone they loved so dearly, so any place turned into something beautiful.

Once they finished eating their ice cream, they decided to go home. But the moment Ren spotted a street vendor selling grilled corn, he stopped walking immediately.

"Elara, let’s buy grilled corn," he said.

"Alright." She agreed.

Ren approached the owner and said, "Mister, we order two grilled corns."

The brown-haired grown man turned to them while still grilling the corn. "Oh! Another young couple?"

Elara’s eyes widened for a second.

She had never expected another person would mistake them for lovers again.

"Do you want spicy grilled corn or the sweet one?" the grown man asked.

"I want the spicy one." After saying that, Ren turned to Elara. "Do you want the spicy corn as well or the sweet one?"

"Sweet one," Elara replied.

Ren returned his attention to the grown man. "One spicy and one sweet, please."

"Alright." The mature man replied. "Please sit on the mat. Your order will be ready shortly."

Ren and Elara immediately looked for an empty place.

Several minutes later, their order arrived.

The duo immediately ate it because it tasted best when it was still warm.

"How is it? Do you like it?" Ren asked curiously.

"Yes," she nodded. "It’s delicious."

"Have you ever eaten grilled corn before?" he threw another question at her.

"Yes," she replied. "But it tastes different from this."

"Let’s try a different street food tomorrow night." He wanted to invite her to try various foods.

"Alright." She agreed right away.

After they finished eating, they didn’t go home immediately because they wanted to enjoy the moment first.

Since Elara wanted to capture the moment, she took her phone out of her pocket.

"Ren, can... can we take a picture together now?" she asked shyly.