His teachers continued talking to him, each of them trying to explain something or provide him with information. However, Seth's focus had faded, and their voices sounded distant, as though they were speaking from underwater. The only thought echoing in his mind was the realization that he wouldn't be participating in the tournament anymore. Ms. Madden's last words played on repeat inside his head.
As the meeting continued, Seth remained in a state of silence, lost in his thoughts. It lasted for about five minutes, but in his distracted state, it felt much longer.
Seth's journey home took longer than usual. He moved through the streets slowly, his mind preoccupied with the news from his teachers. With his participation in the tournament withdrawn by the academy, he felt powerless. Personal entries were no longer permitted after an incident a few years ago when a student from Lux Aeterna had tried to infiltrate the tournament.
After walking for a while, he decided to take a detour, not wanting to face the reality awaiting him at home. Eventually, he reached a nearby park. Although the streets had their usual hustle and bustle, the park felt strangely empty. A few people could be seen in the distance, but the park's vastness created a sense of solitude. The park's tall trees blocked the city's bright lights, casting a shadow that made the place look dimly lit.
Seth found an empty bench in the heart of the park, slumping onto it and resting his head against the bench's backrest. Above him, a dark canopy of leaves filtered the faint glow from the towering skyscrapers, making it look like a beautiful starry night.
His mind wandered through different memories. Seth didn't like to think about his parents since trying to remember them turned out to be extremely painful. He couldn't remember what they looked like, their faces or their voices. Still, he made an effort to remember, seeking some trace of their existence.
He remembered one particular day, one year before their deaths. It was on a weekend. At that time Seth had a hoverboard that he liked a lot, and on weekends he would usually go out to ride it, though his parents had told him to stay within a two-block radius.
However, that day he decided that he would go to a really steep hill that was about a kilometer away and use the hill's slope to go faster than ever. He just had to make sure to be quick so his parents wouldn't notice that he went farther than he was allowed to. In his mind, it seemed like a good idea. However, the hill was steeper than he thought, making him go faster than he could handle, and ended up crashing. He got several bruises, mainly on his arms and legs, while the hoverboard had nearly broken in half, and several parts of it were scattered all over the floor.
Since his hoverboard was broken, he had to walk back home. By the time he reached the doorstep, the tears had dried, several dry blood stains could also be seen all over his clothes, and he was covered in dirt.
"Sweetie, what happened to you?" His mother's worried voice filled the air. Those words were enough to make him start crying again. Sniffling and sniveling, he explained how he had ventured beyond the two-block radius, went down a steep hill, and injured himself while breaking his beloved hoverboard. His mother listened, tending to his wounds.
"Are we going to have to throw my hoverboard away?" he asked, still crying.
"Why do you say that, honey?" his mother asked, her voice gentle.
"Because I broke it," Seth sobbed.
"And what does that have to do with getting rid of it?"
"Because it's broken, and I don't think it can be fixed."
"Why would you think that?" she asked.
Seth fell silent, snot running from his nose.
"Seth, nothing is ever entirely broken. There's always a way to fix things," she said as she wiped his face with a towel. "Life is full of mishaps; things rarely go as planned. But what matters is what you do about it. You should never give up. Right now, it's your bike that's broken, but as you grow, you'll encounter more broken things. You mustn't let that discourage you…" Her expression curled into a bright and warm smile, "I know you won't; after all, you're my son," she added. Even through the fuzziness of his memory, Seth could still remember his mother's warm smile.
Tears welled up in Seth's eyes as he remembered this moment from long ago. A bittersweet smile graced his lips, and a solitary tear trickled down his cheek.
Suddenly, a voice broke his reverie. "What's on your mind, kiddo?"
Though Seth couldn't see her in the dark, he recognized the voice instantly. "Miss Leywin, how did you find me?" he asked without making eye contact.
"Are you really surprised by that?" she responded.
"Not really."
"Let's go; your aunt and uncle are concerned about you."
"I just want to be alone right now. I'll head back later."
"Why? Are you planning to wallow in self-pity here? No matter what happened, it's no reason to miss your training, let alone worry your aunt and uncle."
"So, what am I supposed to do?"
"Come on, have a little more faith in me," Miss Leywin said, her face turning into a grin.