I ascended the marble staircase with a sense of reverence in my step, careful not to blemish the untimely atmosphere with any unnecessary noise or stir. Each footfall was as precise and timed as a metronome, the sound faintly echoing off the narrow walls that surrounded me, every following step overlapping the third repeat of the one before. Keeping this rhythm gave the journey upwards a spirit of adventure; the resonant clicking of sole against stone resembled a drum role finale, and it spurred me on like an imaginary snake nipping at my heels.

The stairs levelled out in front of me, forming a large plateau as wide as a small house, and longer than any road or path travelled by man. I continued forward, taking in my surroundings but not losing pace. The walls andcellingg were adorned with every type of window ever created: an awe-inspiring smorgasbord of clear glass intended for peering  into the likes of other universes. Some were open, and some were locked. Some were broken completely with the weather and noises of that place leaking onto the floor below it. There were a great many that stood out because of their attractive colors and shapes, but these were the hardest to reach because of their inconvienient fixation to the high roof.

I knew the window I was looking for, and I scanned the lower walls closest to the floor for a sign of the familiar white stone opening that I unknowingly crawled through that fateful evening 13 years prior. Excitment built in my heart as I felt myself approaching the way home, away from this mad world that had kept me prisoner for so long.

Then everything went black.

It was then that I came to a halt, my tired legs buckling as I struggled to keep myself up. But I fell on my backside anyway, disorented by my lack of vision and bearings. My ears rang, and I smoothed my hair back waiting for something to happen. I lit my area with a flame on my index finger, swaying it to and fro like a candle, searching for the cause of the sudden blackout.  A long few minutes past and I regulated my heavy breathing, giving way to an eerie quiet that sent a chill down my spine. It was then that the luminescent purple light appeared as a speck about 300 yards down the dark corridor. I squinted, and noticed it was growing larger, as if it was coming towards me. I knew immediately who it was. I started, jumped to my feet with a speed I didn't know I had, and sped towards the light with a hatred I hadn't felt since Judastu took the life of my dearest companion . I summoned an unnatural amount of energy in the palm of my right hand, and it quavered slightly before taking the form of a brutish  longsword alive with blue lightning. I was determined to end his life.

It was Judastu, and he had come back for more.