DTT: Round One, Kaiden vs Curse

Well, this is new.

I had gotten used to the eternal fire of the beachside bonfire as I got fleeting glimpses of my family in the waves. I can’t say that I’m jealous of them for getting to live their lives after I inadvertently threw mine away. However, I can’t really see that I threw mine away. I nearly killed Shelby, only for her to kill so many others after me; it’s kind of hard to beat Simeon, who was that determined and deadly.

It’s been 20 years, and now the only thing I long for is the chance to hear the stories my family will have for me when they join me. Those glances are nuggets of hope that keep feeding my soul, and I can’t wait to hear what becomes of them.

But now I stand in an obsidian arena with other kids, apparently all of us victims of the Games, as the voice tells us. The ground beneath me is almost alive as it slowly moves me toward the center of the arena, a spectral knife forming in my right hand. Another boy stands before me, and I worry about what comes next. What happens if we fail in this arena, too? Will I be allowed to go back, or will I fade away into nothing, lost in the memories of time and history?

It’s clear I’m meant to fight, though, so I will do as I’m told.

“I’m Curse; sorry we had to meet this way,” I state as I strike my knife against him.


Curse attacks Kaiden | Knife
avDu0rTES_knife
2152 - Deep Gash on Stomach - 9.0 damage

"We're not exactly fighting for glory here," the boy in front of me scoffs, "we're still dead even if we win." He manages to cut off two of my fingers, and I'm surprised to find that I don't feel anything. They're just not there. Hopefully, it's the same for him, not having to go through being cut up again.

"I still remember what it feels like to die a drawn-out death; I wouldn't want to wish it on anyone else," I reply. Just because we're dead doesn't mean we still can't be compassionate or caring. I had my own little pocket universe, and as much as I would like to get back, this is the first interaction I had with others in 20 years. It would be nice not to have it be the complete torture of fighting again. Who knows, there might be other things to explore beyond the beach and ocean. Maybe winning is my way to explore more of what the afterlife offers.

There are a lot of other tributes to fight through first, though. I don't want to fight again, but if winning means eternity to explore, why not try at least?

"So," the boy pauses. Clearly, something is eating at him, yet Curse couldn't quite pinpoint what it was. "...ah, nevermind. We don't get enough time to talk about what life was like."

Curse couldn't help but want to know the kid more. Was this kid someone who yearned for more than the hand that life dealt him? Curse had volunteered because he wanted to prove that the sickly boy had grown into a man. And to think he made it to Day 5, outlasting almost 60 other kids, had to prove his point. Curse was no longer the kid who was always in the hospital, wanting to prove that he could be on the same level as his twin. Was the boy in front of Curse someone with the same feelings?

"What if we did, though?" Curse asks, not yet ending the fight. "What if he had a drink after this and talked about what we could make out of being dead? Wouldn't it be a great chance to be more than what we were in life?"

Curse struck out, ending the fight before it dragged out too long. If he were to make a friend with the boy in front of him, he might as well finish the fight so they can drink instead.