“Dance is but another form of exercise, you know.”

“A performance of not just strength, my friend, but endurance. And, as with all forms of exercise, there is always a point where one can dance no longer.”

“Your muscles grow sore, your lungs fill with fire, and sweat pours from your brow. There comes a time when you must finally sit down and admit defeat. No one can groove eternal, my friend.”

“Just as no man can run forever, Mighty.”

“It takes two to tango as the saying goes, and these last few weeks I’ve been enjoying nothing more than pushing you to your absolute limits. At Mr. Way’s behest I’ve joined you hand in hand in a most devious dance across the levels of Arcadia. He played the music, I simply moved to the rhythm he created.”

“All so that I could take you to your absolute limits.”

“And I will say, you’ve been quite the dance partner.”

“For every dip and turn I send your way, as I brought wrought iron down across your ribs, you merely took to the rhythm and fired back with a display of raw endurance.”

“Even as I passed you off to Mr. Way, allowing our dear ringmaster to lead the tempo, you found a way to remain strong in the face of failure. Shaking off his rapid pirouettes and dynamic freestyle. Though you lost, you remained steadfast. You never lost your groove.”

“Yet, even as you defy him and try your best to fight against the tempo he’s set, I can see that all of this running, all of this dancing around the inevitable? It has made you tired. The sweat runs down your brow, your feet sore, exhaustion radiating through your body.”

“There is only so much one man can endure.”

“As the lights dim and the spotlight shines down, even a man like you must know that the final number is upon us. As Red Snow falls around us, so will one of us take the final death drop.”

“A death waltz, Mighty. The Dance Macabre.”

“It is here that you must decide, Mighty. That you must prove yourself. Either you can keep up with the strain of our little endeavor, fight the burning in your lungs… Or you can finally, truly, dance until you drop.”

“Though I think I already know how our final dance will go.”

“Because, as I said, dance is merely another form of exercise. I was gifted with immense strength, unstoppable stamina! Mr. Way sent me to lead this waltz because he knew, he was certain, that I would not buckle beneath the pressure.”

“Fall into my powerful arms, allow yourself to finally give in as you become enamored with the circus and it’s rhythm. Together, we shall tango until the ring begs for reprieve.”

“You will finally fall. The rhythm in your heart finally beating to a new tune.”

“It will hurt, my friend. It will be agony.”

“But remember.”

“What does not kill you makes you stronger!”