[ WP ] Confronted with Death , he offers you a second chance at life upon completion of a trial . He lays in front of you three paths to choose from : blood , sweat , or tears .

None Shall Triumph ( in blood ) 
 None Shall Win ( in sweat ), 
 Over the Hand that reaches 
 us all ( in tears ), 
 at our fearful final end. 
 
 
 And then the gavel hit. It pounded and the sound vibrated louder and louder until it shook, and then overtook me. I closed my eyes and when I opened them I stood naked in a room with no door, no window, only a lone staircase that dropped down into deep darkness. My memory was foggy and my mind full of fleeting shapes and images. I knew not how I arrived, only that I should not linger and could not stay. Slowly, I began my descent. At the top the stairs were polished and smooth, the pathway wide and easy. Down, down, down I traveled with the ceiling growing lower, the way tighter, and the steps becoming steeper and uneven, becoming jagged with sharp pointed edges that cut and tore at my uncovered soles. Soon my feet began to bleed and hurt. I continued on for hours or days as my mind raced with dark thoughts. I knew not how long I traveled for the pain increased and caused time to lose all sense and meaning. I went until my slowed movements were but a mere hobble. I moved until I could almost move no more. It was then that the the steps stopped and opened upon a room. 
 
 
 The second room was identical to the first: no door, no window, only a lone staircase leading down. I turned back to survey the way that I had come and saw that the stairs leading upward were gone, vanished. The only sign this was in fact a different room was the clear outline of my bloody footprints. Puzzled, I drew a long breath and after I circled the room a few times, a strange feeling came over me. The sounds and fleeting thoughts were gone. All was silent except the whisper of my breath. It was then that I knew this was not the place that I wanted, it felt off and alien, it felt wrong, and so with little longing or fear in my heart I approached the second set of stairs and again began my descent. This time the steps were not steep or sharp, but the air was thick and humid. At first the temperature was mild and warm then became increasingly uncomfortable. Breathing became difficult, and each breath I drew inward came in short and uneven bursts. I continued and the heat rose even more, soon big dollops of sweat formed on my brow, ran down my neck and back, down my legs, and stung my broken feet. I forced myself onward and my breath grew louder and louder, as the heat grew hotter and hotter. By now the water gushed off of me, each step grew more slippery with my sweat, and it came hard to stand. Eventually I lost my balance, fell to my knees, and almost tumbled down into the hellish abyss. I tried to stand, but my legs lacked the strength, so I crawled onward. Ages later when I reached the bottom of the second stair my body ached and I had grown frail with dehydration. 
 
 I crawled into the third room and the temperature cooled. My feet throbbed, my body was thin and weak, and I collapsed onto the cool floor and in swimming blackness almost lost consciousness. I lay there in a haze until some of my strength returned and I was able to stand and look around the room. It was identical to the previous two: no door, no window, only a single staircase leading downward. It was here that my sanity wavered, and tiny tears welled at the corner of my eyes. It was here that fear formed at the edge of my mind and I almost surrendered. I dug deep, wiped the tears from my eyes, and started down the third stairway. Downward I went, outside and in. Quiet buzzing whispers filled my ears and heart, increasing in volume and propensity as my depth increased. Tears came freely, and blurred my vision. Tears came and fell as they were all I had, all that was left of me to give. At times I thrashed violently down the stair, kicking and screaming in grief laden yells. My broken feet and broken body were now matched by my broken heart and broken soul. I continued on and on, and then on even more. As the last step came into sight I stood and considered if it was even worth taking. I did n't think it was worth it. I did n't even care. Somehow, from one of the whispers a familiar feeling fell upon me and I was able to draw upon something deep inside. Somehow, I found the smallest reserve of hope and I continued downward past the final step. 
 
 This time the room was different: there was still no door, no window, but now instead of a staircase it held a long dark tunnel... 
 
 
 
 
 
 that ascended and ended with a bright white light. 

