Jamal and Jordan woke up gasping, their bodies trembling as they sat up on the cold marble floor. The same opulent hall stretched before them, once again untouched by the violence they had just experienced.

Jamal looked around as he and Jordan rose to their feet, then let out a guttural scream of frustration, slamming his fists against the wall. “Aaaaarghh! Damn it! We were so close!”

Jordan leaned against a column, his hands shaking. “The drawbridge… it was right there. The vortex was right there, Jamal!”

“I know, man, I know!” Jamal snapped, pacing furiously. “We’ve got to figure out how to stop the damn thing from lifting. We’re not dying like that again.”

Jordan’s eyes were wide, his breath shallow. “We gotta move ASAP, then. We’re running out of chances already. Two down. Two to go. Let’s move, quickly!”

With little time to waste, they set off.

Speeding past the dais, the sights were the same.

Servants bustling up and down. Aric reclining in his royal couch while holding a goblet of wine. The concubines gathered nearby, giggling and chattering among themselves.

The loop was in effect as usual. Not a moment could be wasted. The attackers would soon pop out to carry out their slashing activities.

The duo burst through the carved doors, made for the middle pathway, and wasted no time at all, racing down the long, torch-lit corridor toward the drawbridge.

“No time for mess ups!” Jordan roared as they burst through the pathway. “We know where we’re headed. So no time to waste! As soon as we get through the doors, get ready for a long jump! You know, like we used to do in high school.”

Jamal nodded, the mood for jokes totally suppressed by this critical mission. “Got it, got it. Gotta give our best leap, in case of any funny…”

“Wait, wait,” Jordan interrupted, suddenly slowing down. He gasped for breath as he squinted at the sight ahead of them. Bending over, he shook his head. “Oh, crap.”

“What’s the matter, broski?” Jamal asked worriedly.

“There’s no vortex,” Jordan panted, his eyes fixed on the space ahead of them. The drawbridge lay still and unraised, but the shimmer of the blue vortex was not.

“What the hell?” Jamal muttered, pacing the edge of the corridor as if it might reappear.

“We should have remembered; the little boy said the vortex would appear in different places. We need to go back,” Jordan announced urgently, tugging at Jamal’s arm.

Jamal’s face was one of sheer exasperation. “What the hell, man? What kinda stupid game is this curse thing playing with us? For chrissakes!”

“Bruh, I dunno, but that doesn’t matter right now. Let’s just keep it moving! There’s zero time to waste!”

Reluctantly but hurriedly, they retraced their steps back to the main hall.

As they reached the grand chamber, they could see Aric happily muttering to himself on his couch, with no servants nearby.

That was good to note. Once the servant with the platter of grapes had not arrived, there was still a good amount of time left.

“Argh! What a crappy punishment this dude’s having!” Jamal muttered, holding his side as he stared at Aric. “Dying over and over and over again. That’s one horrible existence.”

Panting, Jordan agreed. “Honestly, man. It’s better to just be dead than to die over and over again…”

He stopped as he caught a faint glimmer of blue out of the corner of his eye. He froze, quickly scanning the space.

That blue definitely was a different kind of blue. One that did not match with the surroundings.

“There!” he shouted, pointing to a large window set into the wall near Aric’s couch. “There it is! Outside!”

Jamal followed his gaze and they quickly rushed to the window, where they saw it.

A shimmering blue vortex glowing faintly in the gardens outside. It wasn’t far, just a few metres beyond a manicured hedge maze.

Jamal nodded. “Perfect! We can make it there!” he declared.

Jordan nodded in agreement. “Let’s do this!”

The two of them then began grappling with the heavy wooden frame in an attempt to open it. It wasn’t proving easy to, however.

“Chrissakes, man! Did these jokers not know the importance of opening their windows in the 1800s or something?” Jamal grumbled as they struggled to push it open.

“Right? Geez, you’d think the big man would want some fresh air while lazing about or something,” Jordan muttered in agreement.

He then looked back.

The servant with the platter of grapes was appearing.

His heart went right into his throat. They had to move quickly; the attackers were mere seconds away from storming the hall.

“Let’s get it open! Let’s get it open!” he screeched, a burst of adrenaline shooting through his veins.

A few strained and very determined pulls later, and they managed to yank it open.

“Perfect! Let’s go,” Jamal said, climbing onto the sill.

Jordan hesitated for a second, looking down at the drop. It wasn’t fatal, but it was far enough to make his stomach churn.

“Come on! They’re almost here!” Jamal urged before leaping out.

Jordan swallowed hard, then nodded. Heights were a bit of a fear for him at times, but at the moment, that fear was nothing compared to what those heartless murderers were about to unleash.

Jordan followed, landing awkwardly beside Jamal on the soft grass. “Ugh! Thank goodness I remembered how to land from a high jump,” he mumbled as he rose to his feet.

Before Jamal could comment, the sound of screams could be heard from the window. They looked up briefly, chills running down their spines.

“They’re in!” Jamal commented. “This is our chance. Let’s go!”

The two immediately bolted toward the vortex, its glow brighter now as if urging them on. They rounded the first hedge, adrenaline surging through their veins as they pushed on.

The vortex was so close—just a few hundred feet away. This time, there was nothing in their way. Just a few seconds more, and they would make it through.

“We’re going to make it!” Jordan shouted, hope lighting up his voice.

“Yes! Yes! Home sweet home!” Jamal yelled gleefully, already bracing himself for the sweet feel of 21st century air.

They were almost there…

..and then, the sharp twang of a bowstring shattered their brief moment of triumph.

Jamal barely had time to turn before an arrow pierced his shoulder, knocking him to the ground.

“Jamal!” Jordan cried, skidding to a stop.

Another arrow flew, this one striking Jordan in the thigh. He screamed in pain, collapsing to one knee.

He turned, and froze.

A different set of attackers a distance away, standing by what appeared to be a huge ship, watched them, their blood-streaked faces twisted in grim determination as they clutched their deadly bows. Without another word, they grabbed their weapons from their quivers and let fly.

More arrows rained down, finding their marks with cruel precision.

Jamal reached out toward the vortex, now impossibly out of reach. “No…” he groaned, his vision blurring. “Come on, man–“

Another arrow drove straight through his heart, silencing him totally.

Jordan’s voice faltered as darkness consumed him. “We… were so close…”

An arrow in the head silenced him as well.

***

Their bodies jerked awake once again, and they sat up on the cold marble floor.

The palace hall stretched out as pristine and serene as before, mocking them with its unchanging splendor.

At this point, the sight of it was sickening. It was a mockery of the cruelest kind; a straight message that it was unwilling to let them out of this terrifying dimension.

Jamal sat up, clutching his head. “Arrggghhhhhh! This is impossible! It’s like we can’t win. For chrissakes!”

Jordan shook his head as he pushed himself upright. “No, we can win. We have to win. That vortex is the way out, it definitely isn’t some unachievable thing. We just need to figure out how to get there without being seen.”

Jamal let out a bitter laugh. “Bruh, you say that like it’s easy. It’s like the palace is working against us right now. We’ve got only one attempt left, Jordan. One.”

Jordan’s face darkened, nodding grimly. “That’s true. One more attempt. We can’t screw it up. We gotta be on the money this time.”

Jamal’s jaw tightened. “No mistakes this time. Or it’s curtains for us.”

The stakes could not have been tighter than it already was. Two attempts had been botched despite their best efforts.

Now it all came down to this.

One final attempt.

One final attempt that stood between them and an eternity of torment.

Bruh, it’s gotten insanely critical now! If they don’t get to the vortex, it’s curtains for them. You can only hope they make it out…