Sound of Your Heart

IN THE dark hall, only a lone figure could be seen illuminated by the light of reflectors. A sound of metal clashing with ice or screeching against its surface could be heard if one paid special attention, yet those sounds were barely as interesting as the person creating them. Daniel Markov, at the age of nineteen has already gotten three silver medals at the World Figure Skating Championship in senior division, and now at this very moment he was trying to win his first gold. His figure moved gracefully across the ice ring, so far he had nailed all of his pirouettes in the first half, he was trying to break his personal best! He was half-Russian and half-American, and his looks naturally didn't disappoint. Short black hair that reached to his neck, perfectly combed and tied in a ponytail as it matched his black costume, he gave out an irresistible allure to both men and women as they watched him skate. As a pro skater, his body was naturally light and well defined, height just perfect at 185cm. His eyes were odd pale shade of grey, he was often mistook for a blind person because of them. It brought a huge sensation when he first participated and everyone thought that he was blind. It was even greater shock when they realized that he wasn't. With such looks, he was naturally one of the reasons merchandise sold the most for the Grand Prix few months prior to Championship this year. Just 37% of sold merchandise belonged to this guy, he had an army of fans that never let him down. In any competition he participated, no matter how small it was, his fans would always be there to support him; it has become a natural occurrence that his coach had to bring a full truck of gifts home from them every time they were done with it. Today, there were even more of them - after all, their idol had exclaimed that he was aiming for the gold this season. And also, his fans were worried about him. A month ago, Daniel had been in caught up in a terrorist attack at the train station on his way from the practice studio and although he wasn't seriously injured by the explosion that occurred, his earbuds were damaged after that. It wasn't a report released to the media, naturally – but it's been a shadow in Daniel's heart ever since. Therefore, along with the announcement that he was aiming for the golden medal, he also released another one: After this year, he'll step down from the world of competitive ice figure skating! To others, his figure as he moved according to the rhythm of music might've been graceful, but only he knew how pitiful he was inside. First half wasn't that hard, he was planning to break his PB - personal best - so he had naturally placed harder figures for the later part. This wasn't the original choreography either, but he really didn't have any other choice. He was afraid that if he doesn't make it this time, he will never get another chance for it. A first tear of sweat rolled down his forehead. Ignoring the pain in his muscles, he jumped; landing a combination of triple Salchow and triple loop - Salchow and loops were his signature moves. He almost over-rotated there, but he luckily managed to get it right. On the outside, he was calm - but on the inside he started to panic. s**t! Have the judges noticed that mistake or not? And mistake on his signature move?! s**t! He could not fully concentrate on his performance anymore. Back in his younger days he only thought of skating, so his skating was pure without unnecessary movements or thoughts. But after he realized that he will never have another chance to compete, his mind crumbled. Such was the nature of a sportist, they easily break. People praise them for their talent and hard work, yet they are nothing if they aren't noticed by those people. If they're faced with pressure, their proud nature won't let them bow their heads down, so they'll go and face it! But when there's no hope left, when the pressure becomes too much — they will break. The music played in the background, "Solitary Awakening" by Kyrene - it was a piece he fell in love with the moment he heard it for the the anniversary of a game he played and then and there chose to definitely skate it to his peak - he was a loyal fan of games as well, so he didn't lack sponsors because of it. Yet the song that entrapped his heart long ago now became his burden. A buzzing noise began to echo in his ears the more tired he got; and the louder the buzzing noise got, the more he began to panic. Shit! A reason why he has to abandon competitive figure skating. After that accident, his hearing had merely gotten worse - for a skater it wasn't that much of a problem. But as he practiced for the first time after being discharged, he realized how wrong was he. A bit more! Just a bit more! The more he got tired, the more he couldn't hear anything but noise. And once the noise reached its peak, his head would hurt so much that he once even fainted because of it. Hold on for just a bit longer, my body! That's the reason why he skated so recklessly now, putting everything in the late part of the program just for better scores. Even if he is to lose hearing for good, as long as he can get that gold, it will be worth it! The music was completely blocked now, he suddenly found his mind going blank. Huh? What part of the music was it again? How much time did pass while I was thinking just now? Ah! What was planned for the program again? Quadruple... Yes, quadruple Salchow— no, it was the loop— No, another combination! Yes, this should be part where the tempo of song speeds up... Did it speed up already? His face began to show clear traces of panic. Considering that he was in the center of attention, many had noticed that something was wrong. Commentator had called for his step sequence few seconds ago, but the skater on ice was just moving with a blank expression on his face. His coach, Boris, knew more than other people here, so he cursed under his breath. He knew that it was already too late to fix this. His student will never have the joy of winning a golden medal. On ice, Daniel didn't see nor hear anything. His face blank, he didn't know if he should focus on trying to realize what his next move should be or what part of the music currently played. His thoughts became tangled and messed up, countless words about skating invaded his mind like: Salchow, loop, quadruple, triple, spinning combination and sequence... Foot sequence! That was it, he was supposed to open the second half of the program with foot sequence after that combination. His legs began to move before he could give it a proper thought, and when he just started with the step sequence, he suddenly remembered that the part of the song he was meant to do it for might have already passed long ago. In that confused state, he didn't have a proper angle of jump as he tried to do the next move he remembered should follow after the step sequence, yet before he could even have time to ponder on that problem as well, he crashed into the wall. The entire skating hall was filled with gasps as they noticed him not getting up. Music stopped and Boris ran straight towards him, followed by the medical team that couldn't outrun the old man even on ice. "Dani!" He called out his nickname, but the person called could not hear him. His coach tripped once, but he ignored the pain and people around him as he rushed next to his fallen student. The buzzing in Daniel's ear had turned into unbearable pain as he clutched his head and cried out. Tears began to overflow in his eyes, but they weren't caused by the pain in his head. Instead, they were caused by the more terrifying pain, the one that seemed to eat his heart and soul alive. He knew at that moment, he could never achieve his dreams now. It was on that day, in his fourth year in senior division of Ice Skating Figure Competition, that a rising star Daniel Markov fell.