"You're a silly little man, you know that?"

Slap.

The Staff tore into Albireo's back once more, then the Phase slammed the hardwood into the small of his back. The sound of the air rushing out of his lungs was all Albireo could hear. The strangely serene face of Emeria's corpse the only thing he could see.

I let all this happen. It's all my fault, it's all..

Slap.

The thought got cut off as Albireo once again gasped in pain. The blindfolded eyes of Fidchell entered his field of vision, staring at him, through him, into him, all while not staring at all.

"You destroyed all of my brethren, you escaped from their tomb. It would seem that you saved all your world, wouldn't it? You even had yourself a woman."

He spit on Emeria, and Albireo had to fight the impulse to reach out and smack him. THe spittle marred the otherwise perfect features, those eyes that would never look into his heart again, the lips that would never mock or joke with him, the hair that he would never see flow in the breeze again...

"Did you think you could fight fate? Did you honestly think I was that weak, so pliable? It's inescapable, even for.."

Slap. Groan.

"...Heroes."
The last word was voiced with such hatred, such contempt, that Albireo could almost sympathize with the man, after all, he had lost everything. Almost, but not quite.

"And now. Now you'll pay, just like she did."

Slam. Sigh. Oblivion.

Take me away,
I haven't the heart to stay,
Take me away,
I'll never know what to say,
So take me away.

Let All things again be made

From the highest point of tallest peak,
To the swirling seven seas,
From the very least of the meek,
To the greatest Liege,
I hear the creator say,
“Let all things pass away”

From the lovers frolicking in their fields,
To the debtors starving in their cells,
From the soldier hiding behind solid shield,
To the shepherd, herding on lonely knell,
I hear the creator say,
“Let all things pass away”

Then from the blasted ruins of flame,
To the valleys of molten stone,
From the blasted palace of high fame,
To the base on once-proud throne,
I hear the creator say,
“Let all things again be made”

From the half-starved child,
Suckling mothers breast,
To the man of old wiles,
Praying for eternal rest,
I hear the creator say,
“Let all things again be made”

Shining light so bright,
A world of no wrong or right,
A land of naught but love; joy,
Where man can still be boy,
And then the creator stood,
And said that all things were good.

Heavier Things Remain (Graviora Manent)

A hallow hallelujah hangs in the corner
With the rest of our dissolving years
You're the storm and the cold
The dove and the bone
The ghost that relieves all my fears
The life is spent from cold (???)
As years and sheets unfold
We'll be able to sleep all alone

(Weight of the world...)
The weight of the world is on top of me
And I wouldn't have you anywhere else
(Weight of the world...)
The weight of the world is on top of me
And I want you here all to myself

Like a land-worthy sailor
I even falter at failure
Trying to find my heading back home
You're the cure and the disease
The vice I still need
The cast and the break in my bones
You're the life that's worth living
The hurt and forgiving
You're Jesus to the demons you've put in my head

(Weight of the world...)
The weight of the world is on top of me
And I wouldn't have you anywhere else
(Weight of the world...)
The weight of the world is on top of me
And I want you here all to myself

The weight of the world is on top of me
And I wouldn't have you anywhere else
(Weight of the world...)
The weight of the world is on top of me
And I want you here all to myself

(Weight of the world...)
The weight of the world...
(Weight of the world...)

The weight of the world is on top of me
And I want you here all to myself

I wish we could love,
But I know we'll always hate,
I wish life was easy,
But I know it'll never be so,

I wish you could smile,
But I know you'll just cry,
I wish you could feel alive,
But I know you'll just die,

I wish we could hope,
But I know we're just doomed,
I wish we could be found,
But I know we're always lost,

So where will you go?
Salvation is here.
So where will you go?
Damnation is here.

(And we hide in our hearts 'til they can't beat no more,
We cry in our shells 'til they're withered and worn,
We won't learn to live 'til it's too late and we die,
And we can't ever see 'til we have no more sight.)

Volte Face

What happened?

Why can’t I listen to your voice?
Why can’t I look you in the eyes?
Why can’t I find your smile?
Why can’t I touch you?
Why do I fear meeting you?

When did it happen?

Did I stop following your voice?
Did I stop searching for your eyes?
Did I lose your smile?
Did I avoid your touch?
Did I run away from you?

Nothing happened,
Never happened.

I still hear your voice amid the silence.
I still desire your eyes upon me.
I still want your smile.
I still dream about your touch.
I still look for you everyday.

I keep going.
Keep going because I know the truth.

If sound feeds the soul,
It is your voice that keeps me alive.
If ones’ eyes are windows of truth,
Yours show only mystery to me.
If a smile is happiness itself,
Your smile is my greatest joy.
If a touch means affection,
I’ll never give yours up.
If the search is endless,
I’ll make it a meeting.

I think of you, my heart aches.
I think of you, feel the scent of your hair.
I think of you, I remember how much I need to see you again.
I think of you, ask myself if I’m still alive.

And I realize, again, the truth.

I’m not alive,
For you are not with me.
Away from you I’m just a shell,
A shell, not at all human.

I only live the moments of you,
The moments with you.
Only when I am closer to you,
To your voice,
To your eyes,
To your smile,
To your touch,
Closer to finding you.

Only then I’m alive
Only then I can breathe.
Only then I feel my heart beating again.

It’s you that makes me hang on.
It’s for you that I keep hanging on.
And, for you, I’m never letting go.


(and no Amy, this is NOT for you :p)

("We're supposed to try and be real.
And I feel alone, and we're not together. And that is real."

Can't wash it all away
Can't wish it all away
Can't cry it all away
Can't scratch it all away
It just won't fade Away)

Last night he dreamt of beauty,
Last night he dreamt of love,
Last night he dreamt of hopes realized,
Last night he was happy once again.

This morning he awoke to a world of nothing,
This morning he awoke to a world of ashes,
This morning he awoke to a world of lies,
This morning he drowned in his tears again.

"Poor, poor dreamer, for how should one ever find the strength or the power to make ones dreams real? How must it feel to be trapped in a world of your own imagining, where everything is just as you'd ever want it, only to awake and find yourself in a world that cares nothing about you? Where nothing is as you would have it? Where love means nothing, honor is foolishness, and Hatred is very real. How out of place such a person must feel. Can you imagine waking every morning and simply wishing to die? I do every morning."