DAMNATION

condemnation to eternal punishment in hell.
-

And if it's evil that you're planting

Then it's evil that will grow.

The tunnel was dark for a long moment. All Volans could hear was his breath catching in his chest.

Until the chamber began to glow, only dimly at first. But within seconds, the entire world around him was lit up golden orange, heat radiating from the glass around him. He was half tempted to reach out and touch it, but didn't think that was a particularly good idea. Soon enough, the brightness resided, and Volans found himself in hot and heavy open air. It was much darker up here, the ceiling above him so high and hidden in shadows and grimy air that he couldn't see where the rock walls stopped. Surrounding him were the crumbling walls of what looked like a colosseum, made of the same dark stone.

In the middle of the Colosseum was the Cornucopia, shining even in the dim, smoke-laden air. But curiously, the ground wasn't solid, instead made up of broken rock, the cracks between filled with the same orange liquid that surrounded him, radiating heat like nothing he'd ever felt before.

A booming voice radiated through the arena- "Let the 18th Hunger Games begin!"

(Let Volans Fedor's Games begin.)

The countdown felt like an eternity as Volans poised himself to bolt on the small pedestal. He could see a few of the other Careers- Majenna a few pedestals one way, Desina a few more the other. They were both poised the same, crouched and ready to run. He doubted making it to the Cornucopia would be particularly easy, but assuming the orange liquid was what he thought it was- lava- then it could easily benefit him.

The countdown hit zero.

The gong rang, vibrating the entire arena to its very foundations.

And Volans didn't hesitate, launching himself off the pedestal. The rock crunched beneath his feet as he ran, and quickly enough he hit the edge of the solid ground. Stopping for a split second, he considered the best route- there were a number of floating rock islands, but he didn't want to pick the wrong one to step foot onto next.

Just as he paused, loud footsteps came up behind him, and Volans spun around- an outer District boy was eyeing him. He lunged for Volans, who easily sidestepped. As he did, he stuck a leg out, tripping the boy. He stumbled, and all Volans needed to do was give him a small shove, sending him tumbling into the lava. He screamed as he hit the liquid- and yet he didn't sink, instead remaining on top of the glowing orange ground. His clothes and flesh caught fire before he could even begin to get out, and Volans didn't wait around. He stepped around the boy, picking a larger island to hop to. At least now Volans knew what the risks of hitting the lava were, and he wasn't particularly keen on getting his flesh melted off today.

Carefully, Volans continued picking his way toward the center of the pool- the rock islands got bigger the closer he got to the Cornucopia, which he was thankful for. Soon enough he was on the island with the Cornucopia, rushing to the mouth. He quickly spotted a sword, ripping it off the wall. He was the first to arrive, Majenna running in just a few seconds later.

"Watch out for that orange shit," Majenna noted, picking through the weapons until she found her weapon- a morningstar, which she hefted over her shoulder.

"Same goes for you," Volans responded, rushing back out of the Cornucopia. Many of the tributes seemed to have fled, but there were still a few stragglers stuck between the Cornucopia and their starting pedestals. Volans quickly spotted a kid making the final leap onto the island, and he darted for her. Her attempt to flee was in vain as Volans landed a kick in her side. She yelped, rolling onto her back and clutching her ribs. He plunged the sword into her throat, twisting it until she stopped gurgling and went still.

"How many's that, Volans?" Clint's booming voice called.

"Two!"

"Good one!"

Volans snorted, placing a foot onto the girl's body to dislodge his sword, which he wiped clean on her robes. Quickly scanning the landscape, it seemed as if things had already calmed significantly, and all of the Careers had made it to the middle island without any issue. He spotted Desina and Estel standing by the mouth of the Cornucopia, and he made his way over.

"That was quick," Volans noted. "Most of them ran?"

Estel nodded. "Most of them got part of the way over and then turned around. I picked two off from here, but… most of them are gone now."

"That's fine," Volans shrugged. "They can only run so far. How many did we get?"

"Five. I think," Majenna answered. "Clint's collecting as many of the bodies as he can get."

"Sounds good to me- we should start evaluating our resources," Volans suggested, but just as he did, Chorus joined them.

"Not without me, you aren't," Chorus interjected.

"There's hardly room in here for three of us, much less four. Go stake the place out and see if there's any tributes lingering. Or help Clint or something," Volans responded.

"He's not wrong," Majenna noted. "Maybe we should go take a look around and see what's going on past-"

"Fine," Chorus growled, spinning on her heel like some kind of child, throwing a tantrum. Volans sighed, turning his attention back to the Fours.

"I wish I knew what her problem was," Volans snorted. "Well let's get to it, shall we?"

19 Tributes alive - 21 days, 8 hours, 23 minutes remaining.

The path around the outside of the Colosseum twisted, steadily rising higher and higher into the air. It'd taken the others a few hours to survey the area, and most of that time had been walking to the top and back down again. Still, Volans couldn't deny it was quite the view- looking out over the arena, he could see glowing pools through the hazy air, the only thing which stood out enough to be spotted from a distance.

"Cool view, huh?" Volans noted, turning to Desina who was resting nearby, drinking from her water bottle. "I wonder why it's so hazy though."

Desina didn't say anything, only shrugged. She wasn't particularly talkative, especially without her sister acting as her mouthpiece, but Volans was determined to get something out of her, even if it were as difficult and painful as pulling teeth.

"Feeling okay to continue?" Volans asked as Desina put her water away. "I'd like to get there soon. Maybe we could even move our camp up here, we'd have a great vantage point."

"Then we'd have to go all the way down and back up again every time we wanted to hunt," Desina said- the first time she'd spoken in an hour.

"I guess that's true- and it wouldn't give us much of an advantage if we couldn't even see other tributes approaching."

Desina nodded, and they set off once again. The path was wide enough, and there were plenty of alcoves and windows into the center of the Colosseum where the Cornucopia sat. Volans wasn't keen on the lack of barriers or railings, since it wouldn't be so hard to knock a person off. And with the height they were at, they'd certainly fall to their death, whether that be in the lava or on the rocks.

It wouldn't be hard to kill Desina up here while they were alone if he really wanted to. It could be an accident- she slipped on a narrow section of the path and fell.

But Volans had no need for that, not when the others clearly disliked him.

(No need for that, when Desina was so much more helpful alive than dead.)

That didn't mean Volans didn't have to be careful though. Chorus could try to orchestrate that sort of accident for him, or at least she would if she was smart, which she wasn't. But there were a hundred other ways he could be set up to die in such a dangerous Arena.

(Volans Fedor would not fall victim to traps an ignoramus could construct.)

So he'd remain vigilant. Vigilant, until the time was right.

Until the time was right to tear the Careers apart from the inside out.

Soon enough, they crested the top of the structure, the curving path levelling out. The Colosseum steadily got narrower the closer they'd gotten to the top, like a cone. The platform they stood on wasn't particularly large. It was big enough for all of the Careers to stand on it, but certainly not large enough to camp on with enough supplies for all six of them.

"See anything interesting?" Volans asked, turning to Desina who was looking out over the Arena just as he was.

"Maybe," Desina responded softly, pointing towards the horizon. "Do you see over there?"

Volans shifted his gaze to where she pointed. The fog was significantly thicker in that direction, Volans couldn't even see a glimpse of the glowing lava through it.

"It's hazier over there," Volans noted.

Desina nodded. "Like that's where it's coming from."

"Or like it's hiding something. Maybe we should ask the others to head that way tomorrow," Volans wondered aloud. He didn't doubt the Arena was hiding plenty of secrets, and the Careers would be better off if they were the ones to discover them, especially if they could use aspects of the Arena to their advantage. The Careers alone were dangerous enough, but so was the Arena, and if they could combine forces their dominance would be assured.

(And if Volans could take those secrets for himself, the traitors would be sure to fall by his hand.)

19 Tributes alive - 20 days, 14 hours, 53 minutes remaining.

"So you want to head deeper into the Arena towards something we can't even see?" Majenna asked, quirking an eyebrow.

"I do, yes. If it's the source of all the mist in the Arena, I wanna know what's there," Volans responded. "What if it's something helpful? Or maybe there's tributes hiding out there."

"We can't all leave here, though. Not when we need to move as much of the supplies as we can off this island, which won't be easy," Chorus chimed in.

"So split us evenly, three and three. Or just send me and somebody else as a hunting party. We need to get moving. We're Careers, for god's sake! It's what we're supposed to do."

"He's kind of right," Clint said, lifting his head himself from the crate he'd been digging around in. "I'll go with you."

"You can't, we need your muscles to move supplies out of here," Majenna responded. "How about I go?"

"No-" Chorus interjected. Volans raised an eyebrow at his partner. "I'll go."

"There's no need to fight over me, friends," Volans snorted. "But if you'd really like to accompany me, Chorus, I wouldn't mind."

Majenna and Chorus exchanged a look before Chorus nodded affirmatively. "I would."

"Wonderful, collect your things. Pack light, I'm sure we won't need much," Volans grinned- they'd let him have this without too much resistance, and Chorus had willingly agreed to come with him. She wouldn't be able to pull anything on him- he was the better fighter, no question, and they'd be all alone to explore the unknown.

(Perhaps this would be even more amusing of an expedition than Volans had anticipated.)

Chorus quickly collected her things. Returning to his side just a few moments later, the pair set off together. The path across the lava channel was still precarious, but through their movement back and forth across it in the past day, they'd found a fairly efficient route. Neither spoke a word until they reached one of the massive gates.

"Which way?" Chorus asked, looking out into the distance- they couldn't see as far from the ground as they could from on top of the structure.

"That way," Volans responded, as he had taken note of which way the mist came from. Chorus nodded, and he began walking, not bothering to wait around for his partner. She was insignificant anyways- the only reason she was here was because he couldn't go alone, and if she didn't keep up that wasn't his fault.

They quickly hit the pools of lava, which he'd seen from the top of the Colosseum. They were even bigger up close, the strips of land separating each circular pool wide enough to walk three or four people across. Sharp spurs of rock jutted from the pools here and there, but the lava was otherwise smooth and undisturbed. The heat that radiated off them was nothing like Volans had ever felt- certainly hotter than any summer day in One.

"So why'd you volunteer to come with me, Chorus?" Volans asked, breaking the long-standing silence.

"What?"

"Why did you want to come with me? I thought you despised me, and now you're willingly spending a whole day travelling with me?"

Chorus grunted, kicking a rock. "I wanted to explore the Arena."

"Is that so?"

"It is."

"If that's what you want me to think, then sure," Volans agreed, grinning at his partner. He certainly had his guesses about why she wanted to come with him, and Volans was sure she was lying. Not that her lies concerned him. And if she preferred to put herself at risk instead of Majenna or anybody else, then she could. She didn't even consider him a real threat.

(At least not yet.)

"Wait, I hear something weird," Chorus declared, stopping in her tracks. Volans paused beside her, listening intently.

"Hear what?" Volans responded- there was nothing he could discern outside of his own breath and the bubbling of lava.

"I swear I heard something."

"Sure you did," Volans snorted, taking a few more steps forward.

And as he did, something under the lava moved.

"There's definitely something there," Volans called, backing up from the edge and drawing his sword. Chorus already had her daggers in hand as a skeletal figure clambered out of the lava. It was tall- taller than Volans- and wielding a glowing sword.

"Are we fighting, or running?"

"Fighting, this thing is between us and home base!" Volans responded, rushing the creature. It swung its sword at him clumsily, which he sidestepped with ease. Swinging up with his sword, Volans cleaved through the creature's arm. Despite it being separated from the skeleton's body, the hand remained firmly wrapped around the thing's sword.

"There's more coming, are you sure we can handle this?" Chorus asked, as her knife cut through the skeleton's neck, separating its head from its body. The head fell away, teeth still chattering but its body wasn't so lucky as it crumbled away.

"Sure we can," Volans said, kicking the skeletal head into the lava. "You'd rather run from a good fight?"

"No, just-"

Volans stepped to the side, driving his sword through another skeleton's ribcage. There were indeed more emerging from the lava- no more than six or seven. Driving the skeleton he was faced with to the ground, Volans removed its head, moving on to the next with a laugh. If this was the worst the Arena would throw at him, these Games would be a breeze.

Working together, it didn't take long to reduce the skeletal warriors to nothing but a wasteland of bones.

"That was fun," Volans commented, wiping the sweat from his brow and sheathing his sword at his hip once again. "And now the way back will be clear."

"I guess so, but must you fight at every given chance?" Chorus shot back.

"Of course I must," Volans shrugged. "What else are we supposed to do? Run away like scared dogs, tailed tucked between our legs? We're Careers."

"Whatever. Let's go."

Volans certainly couldn't protest that.

19 Tributes alive - 20 days, 12 hours, 7 minutes remaining.

The rest of the walk had been relatively quiet. Chorus hadn't tried to talk to Volans again since their encounter with the mutts, which didn't bother him. Not having to listen to her whiny, shitty little voice was a bonus for him.

They'd left the lava pools behind over an hour prior, the landscape switching to rocky, hilly terrain which steadily inclined, forcing them higher. They were nearing the top now, switching between climbing, walking, and resting for a few moments.

"Suppose we're nearly there?" Chorus asked, taking a long drink out of her water. "Damn, my water's empty."

"I think so," Volans agreed. "Do you think it's weird that we haven't seen any other tributes out here?"

Chorus shrugged. "Dunno. Maybe they're hiding because they've seen us coming."

Volans shook his head- something told him that wasn't the answer. There hadn't been a single other tribute spotted since the bloodbath, nor another cannon fired since the initial five. Something felt wrong. Certainly more should've died by now, or at least been spotted by the Careers.

"It's fine, just keep a lookout. I wouldn't mind returning with a kill or two," Volans exhaled, clambering higher up on the rocky terrain- and as he did, something caught his eye, a strange glow coming just over the horizon of the hill before him. Without a second thought for Chorus he quickly advanced, cresting the top of the hill.

And what he found was hardly what he'd expected.

Below him was a valley- the glow was the lava, swirling together with water, molten orange rock coming from the half of the valley he stood upon. On the opposite side of the valley, rivers drained down the cliffs into the pool. Where the two met clouds of mist were thrown into the air.

"It's water," Volans announced as Chorus caught up with him.

"That it is," Chorus agreed. "Should we get closer?"

"I don't see why we wouldn't," Volans shrugged, and he set off down the hill. He'd never seen anything as beautiful as the valley- if only Flair was here to see it with him. Although he was sure she was watching through a TV back at home, he doubted a screen could ever properly showdo something this beautiful glory.

Carefully making his way down the hill and around the lava falls, Volans soon found himself on flat ground. The pool where the liquids met was large, but he could still see across to the other side, where what looked like a large rock lay on the beach.

Volans pushed forwards, following the edge of the pool until he approached what he'd seen from the other side. It wasn't a rock at all- no it was the crumpled figure of a boy, laying on his side facing the water.

"Is he alive?" Chorus asked. Volans pushed the boy with the toe of his sandal. The boy fell limply onto his back with a small groan.

"Yes," Volans responded. There didn't appear to be anything wrong with him, no external wounds or anything else that Volans could discern, and he didn't have anything with him save for a small water bottle in his hand.

"This is weird," Chorus remarked.

"It is," Volans agreed, before swiftly unsheathing his sword, plunging it into the boy's chest and before he even withdrew it, the cannon fired. "Now he's weird and dead too."

"Perhaps we should get going?"

"Sure. Do you want to fill your water bottle first though?" Volans asked, as they moved away from the boy's body so it could be collected. Chorus nodded, pulling the bottle from her bag- perhaps this would show him what strange thing was happening with this pool. After all, there was nothing visible that could've sent the now dead boy into such a state except the water, and who better to test it on then Chorus?

He watched as his partner dipped her bottle into the water, her hand touching the surface. She gasped, drawing back quickly.

"What?"

"It's- cold. Really cold," Chorus remarked. "Weird… I thought it might be warmer considering it's mixing with something so hot."

Volans only shrugged- he didn't know how such things worked, and Chorus finished filling her water, screwing the top on firmly. There didn't seem to be anything different or wrong with her- and she certainly hadn't immediately dropped into a comatose state like the boy had been in.

"Ready to go then?"

"Definitely," Chorus agreed, and Volans pointed them towards home.

(Something told him, they'd be back to this strange, beautiful place soon enough.)

18 Tributes alive - 19 days, 7 hours, 30 minutes remaining.

The entire time they'd been patrolling, Majenna and Chorus hadn't stopped giggling.

Not that Volans minded giggling- in fact, his parents had told him that people laughing meant they liked you, unless they were laughing at you. But that wasn't the case here- the girls had been walking and whispering for what felt like hours now. With the Fours and Clint out hunting, he had no choice but to be stuck with the two laughing fools.

"What's so funny?" Volans snapped, turning to the pair who walked a few steps behind him. Both of the girls stopped, staring at him.

"Dunno," Majenna shrugged. "We're just talking to fill the time."

"I can hardly hear myself think, much less hear anything approaching, which is the whole point of patrolling our home base, isn't it? So please let me do my job in peace," Volans requested.

"What's your problem, Volans?" Chorus asked. "Do you really hate fun so much?"

"I don't, but if I'm supposed to be patrolling our base, I'd like to be able to actually do my job."

"We're not stopping you-"

"It's fine," Majenna chimed in. "If you want to patrol on your own and let us rest, we won't complain."

Volans grunted, watching as the girls turned away from him and made their way back into the Colosseum. The other three had left to try and make it past the pool, into the lands beyond it to see if they had any more success finding tributes. Something told him the boy they'd encountered the day prior wasn't the only one, and more than likely had allies nearby as well.

They had to get moving, and get more kills along the way. If they didn't, what kind of Careers were they?

The others had left early in the morning, and would hopefully be back soon, since he wanted to propose the idea to move their base closer to the pool. If they sat at a central point of the Arena, they'd be more likely to see tributes, and the more tributes they saw, well, the more they had the chance to kill.

Soon enough, Volans spotted the sisters and Clint on the horizon- no more than ten minutes out from the base. He made his way back into the Colosseum, wanting to gather the entire alliance before they retired for the night. As he made his way to the alcove they'd stored all the moved supplies in, he found Majenna and Chorus gathered over what looked like his bag.

"What are you doing with my stuff?" Volans yelled, rushing the pair. He grabbed a handful of Chorus's hair, yanking her off his bag. "You spent the whole day fucking around, and now you're screwing with my stuff?!"

"What the fuck- get off of me!" Chorus shrieked, scrambling for her knives which he kicked away. "What's your problem, Volans?"

"Let her go!" Majenna growled, hefting her mace towards him, but Volans deftly put Chorus between himself and Majenna."We weren't messing with-"

"If you weren't, why were you both touching my shit?"

"What the hell's going on here?!" Clint roared, as the other half of the group rushed in.

"They were messing with my stuff- that's my bag!" Volans explained. "I know you've been scheming against me this whole time, is that what you spent all of today talking about behind my back? How to get rid of me?"

"Is that true?" Estel asked.

"No-"

"You've been keeping secrets from half the pack, did you really think that'd turn out well?" Volans sneered, as Clint lunged for him. Volans threw Chorus to the ground, stepping out of the way of his attack, his greatsword digging into the dirt below their feet. "And now you dare to attack one of your own?"

Volans cackled as Clint swung at him again, Chorus scrambling for her own weapons. Volans drew his sword, darting around his far larger opponent, slashing across his side as he moved. Estel drew her bow, nodding at her sister before nocking an arrow, sending it careening into Clint's arm. He cried out, lashing his sword out in Volans' direction wildly, which he dodged.

As he stepped back though, something heavy connected with his ribs, sending him to the ground- Majenna, swinging her mace at him again, which was blocked by Desina's shield.

"I was right," Volans sputtered, catching his breath as he pushed himself up again, Chorus advancing towards him now as the others continued to fight. "You've been trying to get rid of me from the start, Chorus. Was this all for your little friend, the one I hurt? What was her name again?"

"I-" Chorus stumbled over her words. "I don't-"

"You don't even know her name?" Volans spat. "How pathetic, you can't even remember your own best friend's name. Was she ever really your friend at all, or were you simply looking for a reason to hate me?"

Chorus shook herself out without saying another word and lunged for Volans. He wasn't fast enough to dodge her, and she collided with him, a knife sinking into his shoulder. Gritting his teeth, Volans drove his sword into her side, before pushing her to the ground.

As he did, a cannon fired, and Volans turned his attention to the rest of the pack just in time to watch Clint fall to the ground, multiple arrows embedded in his eyes and head.

"Chorus, we have to go!" Majenna screamed, backing away from her fight with Desina as Estel also turned her attention now. Chorus stumbled to her feet, and Majenna grabbed her, the pair fleeing the Colosseum.

"Do we follow?" Estel asked, as Volans sheathed his sword.

"Don't bother," Volans shook his head. "Let them run. They hardly took anything with them anyways."

Estel nodded, swinging her bow over her shoulder again, and quickly began attending to her sister, who seemed to be somewhat injured. Volans turned, finding a place to sit before pulling the knife out of his shoulder. It didn't look particularly deep, and it wasn't his dominant arm. He doubted it would slow him down much, but Chorus certainly knew which hand he preferred. If she really wanted to disable him, she would've gone for his left, not his right.

"Do you need a hand with that, Volans?" Estel asked, as she made her way over. "Might as well get all of us patched up at once, right?"

"Right," Volans agreed. "I doubt they'll be back, but we should move soon anyways."

"For sure- but that's a tomorrow problem."

(Plenty of things would be a tomorrow problem. But for tonight, Volans could rest easy knowing he'd been right.)

17 Tributes alive - 18 days, 17 hours, 11 minutes remaining.

Volans wasn't exactly sad to be leaving the Colosseum behind.

It didn't take long for them to clear out what supplies they did and didn't need. With just the three of them left, they wouldn't need much, and it was in their best interest to travel light anyways. Some of the food that wouldn't go bad was stored under rocks and debris, and everything else they dumped into the lava- what they didn't need wouldn't be somebody else's charity.

"Do you really think they headed this way?" Estel asked, snapping Volans out of his thoughts. They'd been trekking over the terrain he'd walked with Chorus just a few days prior for nearly an hour now, with not a single sign of the others.

"I think it's likely," Volans responded. "There's not many ways to go, and they're probably going to make a break for the other half of the Arena."

"Are we trying to track them?"

Volans shrugged- he wouldn't mind tracking them down, especially since they'd be easy pickings now with Chorus injured. But the girls had a fairly significant head start on them.

However, with how lackluster the Career's performance had been so far, Volans just wanted to find somebody- anybody. What was the point, if the Capitol sat around bored for the whole Games? It'd be shameful if Volans emerged a boring Victor- what was the point if he wasn't remembered?

"Y'know, I don't like it here very much," Estel commented, after another long silence. "It's too hot and dry."

"Yeah?" Volans responded.

"Yeah. At home even this kinda heat is beautiful."

"Four? I've been there a few times," Volans responded- he had fond memories of business trips with his parents out to Four. He'd even gotten to swim on a few of those trips.

"It's great, right Des?"

"Sure is," Desina chuckled, the least dreary she'd seemed since entering the Arena. "What's One like, Volans?"

"Not as scenic as Four, I can tell you that," Volans started. "It's much more like the Capitol, lots of big buildings and interesting people all packed into one space."

"Do you like it there?"

"Certainly. That's where everything I know is, so I guess I have to. Do you guys like Four?"

"I do, but I'd like to see more of the country. Maybe take a trip through every District or something like that," Estel responded. "I guess I've checked the Capitol off already."

Volans smiled, nodding. He figured it wasn't such a bad idea for Estel to dream, but still only two at most could walk out of the Arena, and Volans had every intention of being that one. He had to, after all- for himself, and for Flair, and for everything he'd ever worked for.

Flair.

Was she watching, as he reminisced about home, did she know how much he missed her? So much that he could hardly bear to think of her- because even thinking of somebody so good and pure in such a dark place felt wrong.

(Would her flame still burn so brightly when Volans returned?)

17 Tributes alive - 18 days, 13 hours, 32 minutes remaining.

The walk felt much shorter the second time Volans did it, although that could've been attributed to the lack of Chorus's presence.

They soon crested the hill into the valley, picking their way down carefully. The Fours were, without question, far superior company, but that didn't mean that Volans wanted to be so close to them. No matter which way he spun it, they outnumbered him, and had years of training together on their side.

(One of them would have to go, and soon at that.)

But he'd have to be careful- it would have to be an accident, or at the very least look like one. The last thing Volans wanted was to be entirely alone in the Arena with Chorus and Majenna still out there. Perhaps he could set something up in the coming days- it'd be preferable to get rid of Estel, but Volans couldn't afford to be picky about it.

"We'll stop here for the night and go further tomorrow," Volans declared as they hit the bottom of the valley.

"Sounds good to me," Estel agreed, looking out over the pool with childlike awe. "I might go sit in the water for a little bit, do you know if it's hot?"

Volans froze- the water. That boy had touched it, and ended up comatose because of it, and Chorus had been strange ever since she'd touched it. There was something about it- something that wasn't quite right, but what?

(Perhaps this was his chance to even the playing field.)

"Chorus said it was cold," Volans settled on. "It seems nice enough if you avoid the lava."

Estel laughed, setting her bag down. "Why don't we get the tents up and go for a dip then?"

"I don't swim," Volans said, feigning sheepishness. "Touched something slimy under the water one time in Four and never got in again. My brother still brings it up today even though it's been years."

"That's fine. You'll have somebody to keep you company for once, Des," Estel remarked, sliding the tent out of her bag. Desina snorted quietly, moving to help her sister. With a little bit of struggling, and Volans manning the instructions, they got the tent up without it looking like it would instantly collapse.

"Good work, team," Volans declared, sliding the instructions back into the bag. "It's a tent!"

Estel clapped, grinning wide. "And now it's time for water, just like we're camping for real!"

Volans watched as she collected a few things- a spare blanket for a towel and her bow, making her way to the water's edge. He followed, finding a spot to sit near the edge so he could watch, Desina joining him.

"You don't like the water much either?" Volans asked quietly, as Estel threw her shoes aside, stepping into the water.

"Not really," Desina responded. "The sea is unpredictable, and much more my sister's speed."

Volans nodded, watching as the girl produced a piece of driftwood and a knife from her pockets. Estel was splashing deeper still, the water up to her mid thigh now, and she didn't seem to be suffering any adverse effects- not yet, at least.

"You carve?"

Desina paused. "A bit. Mostly driftwood I find on the beach while I'm waiting for 'Stel."

"That's fun. My girlfriend loves art like that- she's taken me out to a bunch of craft markets and stuff," Volans explained, producing his small, metal token offering it to Desina."She found these metal flowers one time and just had to have them- something about how they're eternal, unlike real flowers. More cost effective too."

Desina chuckled, putting her carving aside and taking the metal rose. "She's smart. And has good taste."

"I certainly agree," Volans agreed, Desina handing the token back. Slipping it back into his pocket, Volans turned his attention back to the water. As he did, there was a splash.

"Estel?" Desina called, shooting to her feet, Volans only a step behind. Estel was slumped over in the water now, still as a corpse. "What's wrong?"

Estel didn't respond, only twitching- until her hand shot out of the water, grabbing Volans' ankle. She yanked, hard, sending him crashing to the ground, the freezing cold water hitting his legs and back. Estel dragged herself up further now, ignoring Volans entirely as she stared at her sister.

"Who are you?" Estel shrieked, scrambling out of the water. "Why do you look like me?"

"Estel-"

"Why do you know my name?" Estel spat, lunging for her sister. Volans took the opening to pull himself out of the water, unsheathing his sword. The girls were entangled in a mess of limbs and hair on the ground now.

"Who are you! What do you want from me!"

"Estel, it's Desina, your sister-" Desina cried, pushing her sister away just as Volans landed a hand on her shoulder, yanking Estel away.

"I don't-" Estel groaned as she hit the ground. "I don't…"

"Desina," Volans said, attempting to restrain Estel to little success. "I don't know what's happening, but we have to-"

"I don't have a sister! You aren't my sister- why do you look like me?!" Estel shrieked, flailing so hard she broke away from him, rushing Desina again. "Take my face off-"

As Estel made contact, she gasped, falling back with a look of pure horror on her face.

She hit the ground with a thud, Desina's carving knife buried in her chest.

"I-" Desina whispered. "I'm sorry- I'm sorry, I didn't mean to."

Desina attempted to take Estel's hand in her own, but was pushed away.

"Don't touch me! Get away from me," Estel whimpered, her voice and struggle against her sister becoming weaker by the second.

Until she went still, one final time.

16 Tributes alive - 18 days, 12 hours, 27 minutes remaining.

Neither Volans nor Desina had moved since Estel's body had been taken.

Blood stained Desina's robes and hands, but she didn't seem to notice. Volans had thought about trying to talk to her, but he doubted Desina would even respond.

The odds had been evened. The mystery of the pool had been unravelled a little more.

Would Volans be next? Would it be his turn now to lose his memory, as Chorus and Estel had? Would he forget everything he'd ever fought for? Would he forget himself?

Would he forget Flair, the only good thing in this world?

(And without that goodness, what would remain of Volans Fedor?)

"We should move away from here," Volans suggested. He didn't know how long they'd been sitting in silence- minutes, hours? He was exhausted, limbs heavy, his injured shoulder aching. But that didn't stop him from wanting to turn and run far, far away from whatever was in that pool.

"I- perhaps," Desina responded, her voice cracking from disuse. "Where though?"

Volans shrugged- did it really matter, as long as they weren't here?

"Maybe we should sleep first."

"I wouldn't mind," Volans agreed, pushing himself off the ground. Stumbling over his half asleep limbs, he made it to the tent, his fingers numb and cold as he attempted to unzip the zipper- would the cold ever go away? After a few long moments of struggle, he got it open, turning back to Desina.

"Are you coming?"

Desina let out a choked noise- something between a sob and a cough, before clearing her throat. "I- I will in a minute."

Volans nodded, clumsily making his way to his bed. He hadn't even gotten his sleeping bag zipped up before he was out cold.

(Would he wake up as himself? Or would he awaken another person entirely?)

16 Tributes alive - 17 days remaining.

They pushed further into the forest. The dark coloured trees weren't exactly trees, but twisted stone pillars which resembled trees. Desina trailed a few steps behind him, silent, occasionally sniffling quietly. Volans didn't have the energy to strike up a conversation, and even if he did, he doubted Desina wanted to talk.

(Estel. Chorus. The water. What did it all mean? What was this arena trying to do to the tributes which inhabited it?)

(And what would it do to him?)

"How are you feeling?" Desina asked quietly, as they paused for a break.

"I still feel like me," Volans responded, taking a bite of a granola bar. "At least I think I do."

"Okay," Desina mumbled, her voice still dry and hoarse. Volans didn't know what she'd expected, coming into the Arena with her own sister. Even if they could both win, there was no guarantee they'd both make it that far. If she was stupid enough to not be prepared for that reality, then Volans didn't know why Desina was here.

If only Flair was there. She would understand, she always understood Volans.

(Did anybody else?)

They walked, and they walked, and it was all Volans ever thought he'd do. How long had they been going for? How long had they even been in the Arena for, four days? Five? Six? He didn't know, could hardly tell without the sun overhead.

(When would he see the light again?)

At least he wasn't alone- no she was still with him, walking along by his side. Sometimes they spoke, but more often they didn't, simply enjoying each other's company.

They were silent, when another cannon fired- another tribute dead.

"Fifteen left," Desina noted.

"Fifteen?" Volans repeated. "Are you sure?"

"I've been counting."

Volans nodded- of course she had, she was so smart. They began walking again, pushing through more and more trees. In the distance, he could hear the sounds of running water, a welcome addition to their walk. If he closed his eyes, perhaps he could believe he was back home in One again with her.

She was better. He was whole.

(What more could he possibly want?)

15 tributes alive.

Night after night, Volans encountered the same dream- the same woman, faceless and shining in the void, calling out to him.

Her.

And yet, every night her light dimmed, further and further.

If he kept sleeping, would she be no more?

"Where are you going?" Volans asked aloud. She turned to look at him, but he couldn't see her face, only a blur as if his eyes couldn't focus.

"I'm not going anywhere."

"You can't leave me."

"I'm not going anywhere, Volans."

"I've given you so much, you can't leave!" Volans spat. "There'd be nothing good left if you left too!"

"I'm not."

"Fine," Volans growled. "Go back to sleep then."

She did, and he sat and watched- and watched, and nothing but shadows moved.

Until he caught a flash of something brighter- a person? Were they coming to harm her?

(They wouldn't harm a hair on her head.)

Unsheathing his sword, Volans took off towards the figures. The boys- two of them, didn't seem to notice, as Volans slowed now creeping up behind him slowly.

Neither noticed, that was, until he plunged a sword through one's back- once, twice, a third time, letting his soon lifeless corpse drop to the ground.

The other boy screamed, trying to scramble away, but not fast enough.

"Shh. You'll wake her up," Volans said, shushing the boy as he dug his sword into his throat. "You don't want to do that."

The second boy quieted. His gurgles soon stopped, and two booming cannons fired.

"I told you to be quiet!" Volans declared again, louder this time, as he sheathed his sword at his hip. They weren't the first he'd silenced for her, nor would they be the last. It didn't take him long to return to camp- but when he got there, she was gone.

"Where are you?" Volans asked aloud, and for the first time in days, there was no response. She had left him, all alone? After all he'd done for her? Had she ever truly loved him, or was she only using him? And did she really think she could get away from him so easily?

(Volans would find her, and make her pay for this disgrace.)

13 tributes alive?

Volans walked, and walked- for how long he wasn't sure. He couldn't remember the last time he'd slept, but didn't dare to try, not when there were so many tributes out there who could get the upper hand if they found him asleep.

Volans Fedor wouldn't allow anybody to best him.

He was the best. He would win, and come out of here alive, and he would find her. Volans would make her pay for this betrayal- for leaving him, so cruelly.

What had he ever done to deserve this? What had he done so wrong, for this to happen to him? He'd been so stupid to believe one person could be so good and pure.

She had never been an angel.

She had only blinded Volans to the truth.

And now he could see, oh so clearly, what he'd been missing for so long.

(Volans knew what he had to do.)

Another cannon shook the ground, but Volans didn't even flinch. There'd been multiple that day alone, but Volans couldn't figure out why. He hadn't seen anything significant- or heard anything but cannons.

He'd been following the river, since he'd found it- where it led he didn't know but it was something, especially since he'd been out of food for awhile- and had run out of water that very day.

Volans knew he shouldn't drink from the river- he'd seen what it'd done to that girl from Four, but still it called to him. It tempted him with its chill, his body aching to be cooled.

Just a handful of water wouldn't hurt, would it?

…

He floated.

And floated- and floated until there was nothing but rushing water in his ears, and he forgot himself entirely. What was he doing here, in such a hellish place? What had he done to deserve this punishment?

Would the river take him, if he let it? Would it wash him away from this place, to somewhere kinder? Where his body didn't hurt, where his mind wasn't clouded?

(Would it take him where he remembered himself?)

Maybe it would, but there was no guarantee, and could he ever truly rest knowing she was still out there, somewhere?

(Could he let the current take him, knowing that way she'd win?)

No.

No Volans would not- he was better than that.

(Volans Fedor did not lose.)

Just as he began dragging himself from the water, a great rumble shook the ground, the sky above him bright as the sun now. He sat, watching for a moment on the banks of the river.

Watched, until the very sun which lit the sky began to rain down upon him.

The lava was back- moving just as fast as water, and it was all Volans could do to keep ahead of it. The rain had burned him and his clothing, melting it to his skin in places, but still, he pushed forward.

(He knew this terrain- those pools, which were so rapidly being enveloped in the flow which chased him.)

The Colosseum appeared on the horizon, looming and huge, now lit orange by the fire. As he ducked through a doorway, taking a moment to breathe, another booming cannon shook the ground.

And then something collided with him- hard. A girl, although it wasn't her. Her mace connected with his side, sending him to the ground but quickly he scrambled to his feet again sword in hand.

(He would not die. He would not let that devil win, he would not let her win!)

Lunging for the girl, he dug his sword into her stomach. She fell to the ground, where cracks were beginning to form, glowing orange peeking through the gaps. Volans advanced on her, stabbing down again and again until his hands were so slick that he couldn't hold his sword any longer.

"Majenna!" a shrill voice yelled, and Volans whipped his head around to see the source, another girl quickly advancing on him, familiar, but still he couldn't figure out why. "You!"

Volans hardly had time to retrieve his sword, before a knife sank into his chest. A boot followed, kicking him back into the dirt.

"You ruined me- you ruined everything!"

"Get out of my way!" Volans snarled. As the girl attempted to plunge another knife into him. He rolled to the side, and lunged at her, clawing at her eyes and face. She shrieked, pushing him hard and he skidded to the edge of the platform. He teetered for a moment, desperately trying to hold on but there was no purchase to be found.

Before he could even yelp, he slid into the liquid.

It was hot- no, hot wasn't strong enough. It was searing.

No, no no!

He could feel- feel every bit of it. He could feel his blood boiling, and couldn't do a thing to make it stop as skin and flesh melted to bone. Every ragged breath only made it worse- only choked him with scorching air- until his world went dark.

He'd be locked there, trapped in his own mind. Burning- burning until there was nothing left.
No, wouldn't, he couldn't die yet!

Scrambling with the arm that hadn't been immersed, he managed to grab onto the edge of the island, the looming figure of the girl quickly approaching as he desperately wrenched himself out.

"You even managed to ruin home, and- why won't you just die?!" the girl yelled, kicking him and threatening to send him right back in. He could feel himself slipping, the edges of his vision doubling, and he could almost see her in the reflection of the girl who loomed over him.

He couldn't die!

He couldn't let her win! No, no, no!

And in that moment, his vision cleared one last time.

As if moving through molasses, he grabbed a hold of the girl's arm. She was still over him, her knife in hand, and did the only thing he could.

He pulled with all the strength he could muster.

The girl fell.

He collapsed, a melted burned limb stretching out in front of him. What reached for him now? A monster, trying to take him in his moment of weakness?

There was nothing he could do- no matter how hard he fought to keep his eyes open, his vision still dimmed. Was this the end, for a boy who didn't even know his own name?

(Would he ever know again, once taken by the darkness?)