Megaera, one of Hades' earliest bosses, stood before me for the first time. I had done a handful of runs through the underworldly roguelike but had never made it far. I was determined to change that with this run. I used all of my focus to dash, dodge, and dance around her until both our health bars were nearly depleted. I made one final swing to finish her off. Finally, I had won.

The high of victory wouldn't last long though--I died shortly after that boss fight and returned to the House of Hades. But I was surprised to find Megaera waiting for me in the lounge.

"The next time we fight, you better finish me off," she said in an encounter I hadn't experienced before. I'd run into similar situations in other roguelikes, where I fought a new boss in Slay the Spire or Dead Cells, but had never been rewarded for failing.