In a staircase whose beginning and end could not be counted, the steps glowed with an intense, blinding white light. No one knew how many stairs the staircase held, but looking toward its peak, a bloody scene unfolded.
A lone figure stood on the final step of this staircase. His skin was peeling, blood pooling beneath him. Bone broke through his flesh, and his exposed skeleton radiated a demonic aura.
Xandros stood at the last step of this trial, locked in a battle to pass it. But if one looked closer—truly looked—they would be shocked to find that he was unconscious.
Yes, Xandros was moving purely on instinct. Such was the depth of his willpower and desire to overcome the staircase, it had embedded itself deep into his soul. Though unconscious, his determination was still being carried out.
But the price was devastating—his skin peeled away, layer after layer, under the staircase's monstrous pressure.
Yet Xandros kept walking, his broken, unconscious body refusing to yield.
