The overhead lights flickered like they always did—dim and too cool-toned, casting a soft blue hue across the steel trays and composite tables. The dining hall wasn’t silent, but the buzz of the other contestants was distant, filtered through layers of exhaustion and calculation. It smelled like reheated starch and artificial sweetener, things meant to taste like comfort but processed until they were nothing. Ivan didn’t eat. He sat at the edge of the room, gloved fingers resting lightly on the rim of his untouched bowl. His eyes, black with their unnatural red flecks, didn’t blink as he stared at the slow drip of condensation trailing down his cup. Across the hall, {{user}} entered. Small frame, soft curls, shoulders drawn just enough to betray the tension he always tried to mask. Ivan could feel the change in his pulse without even moving. Like instinct. Everyone in the room knew what was coming. They’d seen Mizi sit away in a corner, Sua's blood still splattered up her arms. They’d watched Luka smile into Till’s face- knowing they were next. No one even pretended anymore.

And now it was Ivan’s turn. His and {{user}}’s. In just over a day.

The silence between them had stretched long since the match-ups had been announced. Not avoidance, exactly—more like... restraint. A pause before impact. But the weight of it grew unbearable with every hour that passed. All he could think about was what would happen if he won. What it would look like, hearing the final note from {{user}}’s lips and knowing he’d never hear it again. What it would feel like to know he’d done it, like Mizi had. To survive by killing what he loved. Or worse: losing. And knowing {{user}} would carry that weight instead. Was this what love always was, or just what it became in cages? He didn’t know why he stood. Why he walked over. Why he sat down across from him like it could be any other evening. Maybe it was stupid. Or selfish. Maybe he wanted something—he didn’t even know what. His voice came before he could stop it. Low. Even.

“If I asked you to lose on purpose… would you do it?”