Chapter 7: Insignificant

 -={ Nelly }=-

Despite the sunny sky, Jay Blossom felt oddly cold to Nelly. There was a strange thing about Lake Creative that just felt...not normal. The water in it is too blue. Perhaps it's reflecting the sky, although Nelly doubted that once she took a closer look.

The Spectator Dome was made of stained glass, reflecting the sky as well as the clouds. It looked almost magical. 

"I still can't believe we signed up for this," Nelly muttered as the group reached the redstone door.

"It'll be alright." Her teammate, Enchanted, replied.

All the lights were shut off inside the spectator dome. Everything felt quiet and empty.

"Welcome! To the two hundred twenty-fourth annual simulation!" That voice was Cyclosword's, coming from the podium. Or at least, where Nelly thought the podium was. She really should have taken time to visit here before the simulation, but it's too late now. "So, is everyone ready?"

Silence, then someone - Brialgic, Nelly thought, replied - "No."

"You people need to be more cheerful." Cyclosword said. "But regardless, we need to start. Everyone find a seat and sit still."

Through the darkness, Nelly reached for Enchanted's hand, and they sat towards the back. "You'll be transported to the Cornucopia of the simulation arena." Cyclosword explained. "Unless Leo messed something up at the very last second. Then you won't."

Perhaps Cyclosword had meant for that to be funny, but this was too serious for anyone to laugh. Nelly held Enchanted's hand tighter.

Anticipation. Minutes went by, but to Nelly they felt like hours. Complete darkness engulfed the Spectator Dome. Then someone ahead of her suddenly exclaimed, "so why did we sign up for this again?"

"I know, I am so scared." Another voice replied.

The Spectator Dome was in chatter, not the good kind. 

"What if we lose?"

"What if the simulation gets messed up?"

"What if we actually die?"

One cynical voice rose above the rest, "well, at least we know two of us is going to die at the end of the year." 

More silence, and beside Nelly, Enchanted leaned closer, muttering something too quiet to hear.

"Hey, guys, calm down." That was a reassuring voice, and Nelly recognized the Helper Pizzas. 

Ever since the brutal fate that MJ and Blueveria had met in the 222nd Hunger Games, all Helpers were told to stay away from anything Hunger Games related. It was a surprise that Pizzas had decided to participate. "Let me tell you guys a story." Pizzas continued.

"Once upon a time..."

The dome fell silent.

"There was a brave warrior by the name of Aurea. She came across a vast land sprouting with beautiful lime green trees."

The ground suddenly shook, just the tiniest bit. 

"It stretched as far as the sunset."

A light shined down from above, one that was blindingly white. 

"And she loved this land. She cared for it...built things on it...and planted a birch tree on it."

More lights. One of them was focusing on Nelly now, blinding her. 

"But there were people who came to this land. They wanted to use its valuable resources for themselves."

Nelly was moving. Moving through space, through oblivion. She fought the dizziness in her head. 

"...and they attacked."

She spiraled through whatever she going through, losing Enchanted's hand on the way. 

Then she saw the end. The place where the blinding spiral stops. It was beautiful, but unnatural.

And she landed, somehow steadying herself. Ahead of her, she saw the Cornucopia.

The simulation had begun.

_-Omega-_

Omega would kill as many contestants as he could at the beginning.

"You'll get stuff." Omega whispered to Conhadda.

"Right." Conhadda replied. 

Omega made eye contact with every single one of his opponents. The simulation arena's sun slowly rose, and with it, a lightning strikes.

"Go!" He shouted. A couple others said the same thing, perhaps even more determined. 

Omega took a millisecond to scan the Cornucopia, going for the nearest opponent he spotted - Brialgic. Omega was pretty sure he was the one who said that at least two of us would die at the end of the year. You don't know that for sure! He clung onto him. Brialgic looked shocked, doing everything he can to escape Omega's grip. 

He was way too late, Omega already had the axe on him. A woosh, and he was gone.

Omega didn't have time to celebrate victory, as Brialgic's teammate, TGT, immediately came for him. He had brought an axe in as well, a golden axe, shining with enchanted light.

I might not be able to take him. Avoiding TGT, Omega ducked through the crowd, pushing a couple others out of the way as he reached for the far side of the Cornucopia. TGT was determined to get him, following him as hard as a wolf on its prey. He knocked someone else down on the way, too quick for Omega to catch who it was.

"Axe fight?" Omega prompted.

"Why not," TGT came in, slashing down with his axe. Omega just barely avoided it, before looping around and trying to get him from the back.

TGT was surprisingly quick, countering his attack with his glowing weapon. Blue blade met gold, clanging sounds through the air.

Omega just scarcely dodged another one of TGT's golden slashes before someone interjected them, piercing TGT's heart from behind. It's Conhadda, he found a sword. "Move together." Omega called to him.

Most of the teams had gotten away from the Cornucopia in different directions. Omega knocked down a couple contestants who weren't smart enough to escape quickly with ease. 

The Cornucopia was quiet. They had conquered it. For now.

"Someone took the enchanted golden apple away." Conhadda told Omega. "I don't recognize who. I did find this sword though." He held up the sharp blade. "It feels pretty powerful."

Omega examined the Cornucopia more carefully now. At the very top of it is an enchantment table. Ancient, indistinct words flew out of its floating book. Omega ripped a couple pages off, "we'll come back to this later." He glanced at the dead bodies around them. "I didn't think it was going to go this quick."

Conhadda shrugged. "Let's go that way." He pointed towards some mountains in the distance. 

"Why?" Omega frowned.

"I feel like it's a good place." 

"You feel? MJ and Blueveria fell off a mountain."  

"Unfortunately." 

The mountain peaked into the skies. The top of it covered with snow. Was the simulation arena an exact replica of the real arena that was used two years ago? Omega squinted. It wasn't. There was a difference. It only felt that way. They want to scare us. 

~=[ Enchanted ]=~

A slight wind brushed the leaves aside. Enchanted watched those fierce fighters - Omega and Conhadda, he was pretty sure - leave for a mountain in the distance. He emerged when he was sure they were gone.

"Nelly!" He called to his fallen teammate. Was she really gone? 

"I'm alive..." that voice was barely audible, but it was her. "Omega's axe is too strong."

"I have this." Enchanted took out the enchanted golden apple. That was the only thing he managed to get, possibly the most valuable thing. He didn't know. "Eat it."

Around the Cornucopia there were already several fallen contestants. Enchanted recognized some of them. "I should have studied some of the previous recordings." He mumbled to himself.

"I would, but I chose not to." Nelly sat up, looking around in a daze. "Hive District tributes always die in the worst ways possible." 

The snow on the mountain felt blindingly white. "Let's not go that way." Enchanted muttered.

~Ari~

Slow down! Ari wanted to call. The words didn't form the right way somehow. 

Pixel raced ahead of her, holding the fishing rod he found. He'd given the better weapon he found - a short sword made of some sharp metal - to Ari. Like I can use it better. 

She dared steal a glance back. Adept was just a couple blocks behind her, getting closer and closer every second. 

Ahead of her, Pixel caught a glimpse behind as well. "Ari, out of the way!"

What's that supposed to mean? Ari thought frantically. When Pixel swung the fishing rod at her, she instinctively ducked to the side.

The fishing rod stuck to Adept's glowing purple body, and Pixel reeled himself towards Adept, "sword!" He called.

Ari tossed the short blade at Pixel, who caught it at the handle flawlessly. "Run, Ari!" 

I can help you fight! But she wasn't about to argue. With a last glance back at them, she took off.

Everything was a blur, spinning past her while she ran. Eventually, she couldn't hear fighting anymore. She's alone. She took a second to take in the scenery. She's in a bright, lime green field. There's sunlight. It felt nice.

Don't relax. Ari glanced at the far side of the field. A wall of dark trees blocked her vision. I shouldn't be out in the open. Cautiously she made her way to the start of the dark forest, aware of her surroundings. I'll wait for Pixel. Moving alone is dangerous. I think. Velvet told her that before, boasting about the ways of a warrior. I miss Velvet. She's probably a part of the Quintet by now. 

Focus, Ari. Don't think about it now.

She stopped at the edge of a creek with water running through, well hidden beneath the undergrowth. Hopefully Pixel will know where to go. 

~ ~

The brambles rustled, and Ari tensed. She didn't have a weapon. If someone finds her now, she'd be gone. Keep quiet. 

"Ari?" The voice was Pixel's. 

Ari let out a sigh of relief. "Down here."

Pixel glanced downwards, "are you alright?"

"Yes." Ari answered. Pixel emerged from the bushes, and under the dim twilight Ari can see blood. Lots of blood. "Are you alright?"

"It's not mine." Pixel answered, sitting down beside Ari.

"Did you kill Adept?" 

"No."

A brief silence fell between them, only interrupted by the leaves that were swayed by the wind. 

"Let's stay here for the night." Pixel finally said.

"Okay...I'll be on the lookout. I can't sleep anyways." 

Dusk slowly falls and Pixel's asleep. Ari listened to the calming streaming of the water through the creek, cut off suddenly by a voice that seemed to come from nowhere. "And that concludes our first day!"

It's Centuria. Ari remembered her voice from the registration. "It's sort of sad. We already have some people down. They're safe here at the Spectator Dome though, so don't worry. Uhhh...was I supposed to read their names? Let me go ask Cyclo..." Her voice faded away. Half a minute passed before she returned. "He says I can read them if I want to. Do I want to...? Yeah, that's probably not a good idea..."

She trailed off, and when she starts speaking again her voice is energetic. "But anyways, good luck everyone!"