"N-no, wait mom! I made a mistake!" the child cries, his voice full of terror.
"I don't want to go to dad!" he pleads desperately, well aware that his father's punishment will be much more severe.
I watch the scene from afar, still holding the white sphere tightly in my hand.
The smooth metal seems to reflect the glow of the setting sun, while the wind slightly tousles my hair.
"It looks like it's over," I murmur to myself, watching the mother drag her reluctant child away from the now almost deserted square.
"To be honest, it's quite comical," I continue to reflect, letting a faint smile form on my lips.
"It's like a scene out of a comedy, even though the ending wasn't the best for the person directly involved."
I watch the child leave, his steps unsteady and his head bowed.
The arrogance that once dominated his figure has dissipated like smoke in the wind, giving way to humiliation.
The fear of what awaits him at home is visible in his heavy gait.
"I'm sorry."
Lira's voice brings me back to reality. She approaches with an uncertain step, her face marked by an expression of guilt.
Her purple earrings, always mysterious and captivating, suddenly shine with an intense, almost blinding light.
The glare momentarily paralyzes her, freezing her movements as if time itself had stopped.
Then, with a tense expression, she turns sharply towards the crowd.
"I'm sorry, but it seems that the time has come to end our little fun."
With a smooth gesture, Lira begins to usher people out of the park, her sweet voice trying to mask the concern that shows in her eyes.
However, the children do not share her sense of urgency and protest vivaciously.
"No, Mom and Dad! I want to keep playing with big sis!" exclaims one child, his rebellious tone echoing in the air.
"I want to keep playing too!" his sister joins in, raising her voice and crossing her arms in defiance.
The parents, visibly exasperated, exchange tired glances and, with patience and responsibility, try to explain to their children that it's time to stop.
Their calm and determined voices stand out above the chaos of the children's protests.
I too, among the crowd, start to leave with one last look at the park.
Once everyone is on the ground, the playground, with its bright colors and magical atmosphere, begins to transform.
The glowing structures slowly turn off, and piece by piece, they retract into what becomes a black truck again.
"Thank you all for spending your time with me and for being so kind as to play with me,"
Lira says, smiling sweetly from the truck window. Her hand emerges from the glass, waving a friendly goodbye to me, the children, and the other departing spectators.
The truck's engine roars to life, and Lira speeds off, disappearing into the growing shadows of the evening.
At that moment, a white car with a lion emblem engraved on the hood speeds into the square, its blue and red sirens flashing as the sound of the sirens fills the air.
"The Steel Lions, huh..." I whisper to myself, watching the car speed in the same direction as Lira.
---
The sun is slowly setting, painting the sky above the city of Thaloria in shades of red and orange, creating a breathtaking sunset.
Among the skyscrapers and streets illuminated by street lamps, in a small secluded area of the city, the constant clicking of a keyboard fills the air.
Click, click, click...
"It's much harder than I imagined," I mutter to myself, continuing to type.
I'm using an old laptop with a screen damaged by some cracks that I happened to find abandoned along a road.
Despite its shabby appearance, it still works perfectly.
Its matte black color makes it ordinary, similar to many other computers on Earth, but it has a unique feature: an energy self-charging function that draws from an unknown source.
I don't know how it works, but for now, it's been enough to keep me going.
"Finally, I've defeated it," I exclaim with a sigh of relief.