“There’ not much you can do.” A blunt reply came from Seth’s master when he return to consult with him.

“You’re a smart boy, or at least I thought you were. If you stopped and think about it, the situation isn’t as bad as you thought.” Seth’s Master comment had hit the mark. Seth had panicked once the call finished and ran back to ask his Master on what to do.

“The Federation is an …. public organization? I am not familiar with the names of groups and governments.”

“Yes. They're the biggest governmental organization in the world. They help protect the cities by hunting down monsters and stuff. They’re basically the military.” This was describing the Federation mildly, but Seth figured it was the best shortest description he could give his master.

“If they are a public organization, then that works out well for you. Public organizations must abide by the rules that they set. If you act within the law, you are protected by said law. The fact they contacted you for a meeting means exactly that. They have judged that you have done nothing wrong. They would have arrested and thrown you in jail already if that was the case. That also make government groups tricky. They can use those exact same laws against you if you break them. So far, it seems that the Federation is an honest group.”

“And if the Federation isn’t so... honest?”

“Then you are in trouble. The opposite of public organizations are the underground organizations or otherwise known as the black market. Underground organizations are the ones to be fearful of. They only obey one rule- power. They are also restrained by the fact that they must remain hidden. Their numbers tend to be smaller, and you’ll never see them coming. At least that is the case for the professional ones. Their actions are more ruthless and deadlier than a public organization.”

“So what should be my next step then? Just go and meet them? Is that safe?”

“Yes. If you miss the meeting, then that will only draw more attention to yourself. If the Federation is truly one of the biggest organizations around, that means they hold a lot of power. They’ll come knocking on your door since they already know who you are. Find out what they want with you. You never done anything like this before so you should try meeting them just for the experience.”

“Do keep in mind, this is just like heading into a unknown battlefield. I’ve train you in all different types of combat, but never on this type. This is outside my expertise. Just research them properly and keep up with your daily meditation.”

Seth could only sigh at the response and ask one more question. “What should I tell my parents then?”

“Figure that out yourself. I am not here to feed you all the answers. Now get out since you’re done.”

Seth could feel himself being pushed backwards, right back to the shadow portal that led to the park. He was forcefully ejected out with him lying face up in the ground, staring into the sky. Fortunately, no one was around to see him what would have seem like him coming out of thin air.

Thanks Master. I come in looking for help, but I'm only given more things to worry about. Seth could only let out a sigh of despair and began to walk home.

…

By the time Seth got home, it was already dinner time. He quickly changed his cloth and sat down on the dining table. His parents, Ellen and Richard Colls, were already there waiting for him with a plate of spaghetti.

“So kiddo, where did you go today? Coming home so late that you almost missed dinner?” Seth’s dad asked. Richard Colls was in his forties and looked rather average. There was a pair of on glasses on his face, along with a few wrinkles. His body was normal for someone working in an office most of the time. He had a friendly personality as he could easily chat away with strangers.

HIs mom, Ellen Colls, was more on the fierce side. Her hair was shoulder length, while the features of her face was sharp. She stayed quiet as Richard was the natural conversationalist of the family.

“There was something wrong with my phone, so I went into the store to have it checked out,” answered Seth.

“Oh? What wrong with it?”

“The phone screen stopped working all of a sudden. I had to get a whole new one.” Technically what Seth said wasn’t a lie. He just failed to mention why it stopped. There was no need to tell his parents what he did the night before. That will only land him in trouble. Now the question was how to approach the topic about the Federation. Seth decided that a straightforward method might be the best.

“I got a call a about an interview with the Federation today right after my phone was fixed.” Seth said after gulping down a mouthful of spaghetti.

“ First, when did you sign up for a interview with the Federation? Second when did you have an interest in the Federation in the first place? What is the interview for?” This time his mom asked.

“It’s for an internship. I signed up when I was at the library a couple months ago. It was mostly on a whim since I figured I never get in,” Seth fibbed.

This answer earned a disapproving look from his mom. “Never sign up for anything that you’re going to give one hundred percent.”

“I for one am glad to hear about the interview,” his dad interjected, saving Seth from what would have looked like a tongue lashing from his mom. “When is the interview with the Federation?”

“On Monday.”

“Do you have cloth appropriate for the interview?" Ellen asked.

Seth thought about it. “Yes I think so.” He was pretty sure he could dig something out of his closet that was right for the interview.

“I don’t like that answer. Right after dinner, we’re going to look through all your cloth.” his mom said.

Great.