On the edge of death my heart races.

What's this, a real challenge?
The trial is perfect difficulty. I entered prematurely and died to the first boss 2 times. On my third try I kill the stone golem and get my first 2 ascendancy points. I have picked up some relics now and my honour resistance and honour pool is a bit larger so I enter again the golem dies and I make it to the guardians. The guardians kill me as I'm about to land the final blow. I say it's bullshit, but it is not. I enter again with upgraded relics, golem is just another trash mob at this point and it's all going much faster now. I make it to the guardians and after dodging a couple of slams and circling around them they go down. 2 more ascendancy point acquired. At this point my relics are good and I know the layout navigating preferred rooms and afflictions. Golem dead, guardians dead time for a new area. The area is a bit harder but I push through with 80% of my honour remaining feeling safe. The last floor room before the scorpion I rush and choose Hourglass instead of a Ritual, that's on me. Battle is cramped and my gear and power is insufficient clearing the room with 30% honour left. I feel very stupid for not checking room types. Scorpion time. The scorpion does things while I avoid it's attacks and the pressure plates. Balbala says something and the scorpion spits on me I have 7% honour left scorpion has 30% life left. It starts diving and I go for a jog as the room fills with more craters of quicksand. When it emerges I go all out, 7% Vs. 30%. It swipes me with its tail and I'm at 2%, its at 10%. Mistake. I dodge roll into 2 craters of quicksand instead of changing location and the scorpion thinks I'm dumb, I agree with the scorpion. I die with reduced movement speed in a puddle of mud. At this point I go on a little rant and say it's all so very stupid as i wipe my slightly sweaty hands.
I must change. I have 28 exalts and my spirit is powering abilities that are of very little use to me. My 200dps warstaff is exchanged for a brand new 400dps stick making my currency tab 20 exalts lighter but my damage output 8k heavier. I'm no longer Casting on Shocks, 3 heralds empower me now raising my power tremendously for every active Herald. I go back.
In the words of the witch "Everything dies!". First floor is over in minutes and I haven't even noticed i killed a stone golem boss. In the blink of an eye I stand before the bodies of 2 fallen guardians counting my coffer keys. Balbala sells me some cool perks. At this point all the snakes, beetles and burrowers disappear before my Storm Wave, i don't even stop moving. I've had 99% honour this whole run and I have 99% honour as the scorpion lady dies before me in seconds. I have 6 ascendancy points now and my critical strikes ignore enemy resistances.
Feeling accomplished and with my newfound power I juice a map, the map gives me my last Trial. Only fools rush in and I'm a fool.
Golem dead. Guardians dead. Scorpion dead. How was this so hard before?
Balbala says she never went further but senses something deeper inside, I do too, my last 2 ascendancy points.
I find myself above a endless layer of sand or maybe just the charred ashen remains of everything that came before, it's a relaxing uncluttered environment. Maybe the terrain is so kind because what's waiting for me is not. I find myself back in spots I recently traversed. I find myself scratching my head overcomplicating simple puzzles. I easily find myself in front of the last door.
Enter Sandman.
I enter the final arena for the first time with 80% honour, it's enough, right?
A ghost in a oversized coat pops out and tries to convince me that nothing will change for me failing to notice what's changing for him. Freezing and Shocked his life dwindles.. slowly. I thought this would be another Scorpion but he is not a scorpion. He's a yapping boomer oblivious to his imminent demise. The arena is clear and his life is at half. He starts spinning around
throwing balls and I get stuck in balls. There's a lot of balls. I don't panic and roll around most of them. I stop rolling around as i discover my Shattering Palm and my Hand of Chalupa allows me to instantly "teleport" to his location. I have found a way to avoid most attacks as most attacks spread outward from him. Outside bad, inside good. In proper Monk fashion I seek within. I'm now always next to him or behind him where none of his round fiends can help him. At 40% life he has enough of this and vanishes leaving a glowing spot in the middle of the room, I step on it. I quickly wipe my hands because even though I act cool I'm not cool. As I don't move nothing happens just more ball. He's not here. I move and a clock starts ticking under me, I need to catch em' all or the clock will bring me back and who knows what will happen. Someone might boop my nose and I'll never recover from it. I gather the first 4 swiftly but the last 2 are further away and my WASD keys are moist again. I'm panicking now as i frantically dodge roll towards the last 2 getting slower and slower. I'm about to get booped. As the dial completes its rotation I land on the last ball. I did it. I'm the best. Thank you movement speed Relic. He's back now saying things i don't understand because I'm too scared to understand them. I have just glanced at my honour and it's at 15%. How? More balls. Floating balls with swords inside them now floating everywhere. I'm at 10% now but so is he.
Balls rushing past me, behind me, next to me, balls everywhere. He puts down giant clocks under him, I can't Chalupa over there. I'm done for. Last stand. 4 floating balls incoming circling from the left. I do quick maffs and start slow walking as I fire off all the Storm Waves my mana pool will allow. A floater hits me not knowing I'm packing 80% increased honour resistance Relics. I'm at 5%, Sandman is at 0. Under his dying breath yapping boomer evaporates into thin air saying what an absolute bad ass I am. Heart racing out of my chest I'm still too scared to acknowledge his acknowledgment because there are still balls coming towards me. I triple dodge back into a corner and wait as the final remnants of his timeless wrath disappear. The area is still now. There's a unique relic where the boss used to be. I don't care I dash for the portal and claim my 2 last points before the true secret final boss known as Random DC gets me.

I am alive!

(Loot: unique 1ex relic and 4 Time-Lost Jewels i will try to sell for 100 divines each)

gg, ggg