falling inside the black {Kay}

The wind whispers through the broken windows kissing the back of his neck sending a chill down his spine. Dark eyes filled with sorrow glared at the floor locked on the glass shattered in front of him. Blood trickled down his knuckles splattering on the shards spread across the floor. The thundering of his heart rings through his mind as he tosses a box of matches into the air over and over. One by one a match falls to the ground until only one remains inside, and his hand wraps around it drawing it closer and closer until it's embraced in a hug filled with broken dreams.

His hand runs along the dirt floor knocking it away as birds chirped outside flying freely in the sky - Ikaia longed for the freedom the animals of the world lived with. The sun reflected through the broken windows, but the wind never ceased to amaze him. Spring was coming fast, yet a storm rages through his body. Ikaia should've been in the games twice now, but each time it was time to take a stand, he failed. Kirito never should've journeyed through the games, and his last chance to prove his worth plummeted with a heavy thud the moment Iain took the stage. It should've been me, not him. Not Kirito. Me.

But it wasn't.

Loud growls bellowed from his stomach begging for a piece of food, and a dry patch on his tongue made him wish he brought water along with him, but lying on the floor beside him was something much better than water; a half full bottle of alcohol rested beside him, and the taste scorched his mouth and throat, yet it left a warm feeling inside him. Throughout his entire life Ikaia never condoned drinking - seeing the effects bothered him, but now the eighteen year old was finally realizing the relief.

His mind was filled with broken dreams and broken realities destroyed by the Capitol. A bond forged deeper than blood alone shattered before his eyes, and now the test was pushing him further away from the rest of the world. President Snow had messed with the wrong family, and Ikaia was certain the price was brutal. Yet days have gone by, and Ikaia hasn't moved from the spot he collapsed in only hours after Iain was taken away. All that remained was a promise trapped within his mind - to remain strong even in the darkest of hours - fell through the cracks and faults embedded in the dark abyss living inside his skull.

Strength never prevailed; only weakness and darkness pushed through, yet Kirito was strong, and no matter what a brotherly bond was incapable of being broken despite the horrendous amount of pain and sorrow. Ikaia was lost without him, and Kirito wasn't around when he needed him the most due to mentor duties. But it isn't his fault. Every single year the Capitol would steal him away - Ikaia accepted the fate of a victory, but this year was different as every thought and hope of saving his family slipped further from his grasp with each passing second. But how could someone save their family if couldn't save himself?