Young Wings (SKZ OT8)

|As If I'm Crooked, Yet Straight|

The air was thick with sweat and tanged with blood.

"Finish placing your bets, everyone! The event you have all been waiting for is about to start! Choose your CHAMPIOOOOOON!"

Thunderous cheers and groundbreaking applauds made the bars of the cage rattle, creating an irritating creaking noise that made him gnash his teeth. Even though it happened every night, Felix had yet to get used to it – really, he doubted he ever would.

Footsteps, heavy and loud on the concrete.

Felix let out a soft sob as an all-too-familiar burly man stopped before his cage and promptly unlocked it. With a sneer, his captor harshly pulled on the chain attached to his neck, making him choke and stumble to his feet. 

He knew fighting back wasn't an option – not if he wanted to make it through the event in one piece. So, he closed his eyes and let himself be dragged into the humid corridor of which he had only ever seen one end – the one beyond which was located the arena.

They passed the iron door and Felix was promptly shoved forward. He was physically exhausted from the lack of sleep, the cold, and the very little amount of food and water he had been provided lately, and he was mentally tired to a breaking point where the only coherent thought that remained was "I don't want to die tonight".

Tears started streaming down his face as his captor roughly tied two sickle-shaped blades to his hands, forcibly taping his frail fingers around the handles so tightly it almost entirely cut off his blood circulation – but, frankly, Felix wasn't about to complain.

It was a blessing in disguise, because he knew for a fact that he would lose his sole guarantee of survival if they weren't literally attached to his body.

The tears were still falling as the chain was detached from the iron collar locked around his neck, though said collar staid firmly stuck in place. The tears were still falling as he was unceremoniously shoved toward the now open door. The tears were still falling as the neon lights blinded him and the deafening noises of the gathered crowd filled his ears. The tears were still falling as he dragged his feet to the edge of the arena, where over a dozen of other unfortunate souls were already awaiting their fate.

The tears were always falling – no matter how many he shed, Felix never seemed to run out of them.

"This is it, folks! Without further ado, let us begin! The event you've all been waiting for, the spectacle you've all been craving for! It is time... for the BATTLE ROYAAAAAL!!!"

And then the gong was hit, the heart-wrenching noise completely drowning out the thunderous cheers and jeers of the wilding crowd, and Felix's mind went blank – focused on a single thought.

I don't want to die tonight.

He started running.

.

"Can someone tell me what the hell we're doing here again?"

"Fighting boredom."

"Recruiting cannon fodder."

"Looking for a playmate for Sungie."

"Scaring the shit out of random people."

"I thought we were all out on a date?"

"All of those answers sound good to me, to be honest."

"Guys... we're on an official mission... to take down the fighting ring..."

Seungmin was tired.