The day drew to an end
As the shadows of night
Gently pulled themselves
Over the far horizon

I book an inn for the night
For I was far from home
And the long journey
Had left me sore with fatigue

After talking around the hearth
It came time for me
To retire to my room
Amidst the rising moon

As I entered my quarters
I scanned around
By the dim glowing light
Of my half worn candle

Directly in front of the bed
Was a very old portrait
Of a shadowy man
And trees in the distance

I gazed at the art work
The likeness was impeccable
And made even more realistic
In the low light of my candle

Soon after I put out the wick
I had passed out on the bed
Yet I had a restless sleep
Filled by a sense of dread

As I woke up in a sweat
I tried but could not
Pin point the source
Of my nocturnal fear

After rubbing my eyes
I looked again to the painting
But all I saw was a window
And distant trees

Gently swaying in the wind

I had heard legends and tales
Whispered in dark taverns
Of a far off place
Few living men had seen


Of those that had seen
That strange and dreadful realm
Only one had returned
And not with his mind


Far across the sea
Beyond the narrowly passable
Rock spires of Nyalta
Lies that ancient hollow place


I had only heard its name
Spoken softly a few times
And it was never uttered
Without a hint of fear


Tahhor-Noth
That primordial temple city
Built by antediluvian hands
At the very edge of the world


A far off sense of dread
Covered me just thinking
About the long abandoned city
And what it might conceal


But in the end I had no choice
As this was the destination
Of my small company
And our single ship


Which we would set sail with at dawn
To cross the foaming sea

Do I love?
Or do I do these things
Because I feel I must?

The bare minimum
Or at least not as much
As I know I'm capable of

Do I really try?
Or does real love
Even need to try at all?

I've learned myself
That it is a conscious effort
Not just a feeling or emotion

It is a mindset
To sacrifice for others
To put them above myself

Even if I have needs
Or wants of my own
There is no higher love

Than to lay down one's life for another

I dream awake, then fall in space
To a strange, dark and forgotten place
The sky is grey the sun grows dim
In the distance I hear a somber hymn

Light leaves the sky, darkness falls
No moon rises above the walls
Twisted trees grow in place
Branches curve begin to lace

The grounds move, fall and rise
The winds sing of watching eyes
I try to move but there's no where to go
The darkness beckons As Above so Below

A broken hero
In a fallen land
Leans against a tree
No longer to stand

Death surrounds him
And so does it's god
Bidding him rest
No longer to trod

She whispers sweet songs
Without time in his ear
Lay down to rest
There's nothing to fear

Just close your eyes
And Drift with me
To the land of The fallen
The realm of the free

She carried him off
With a tear in her eye
As she did the hero thought
It's not so bad to die

I took the path through the woods
Past the swaying wheat fields
And though it lengthened the trip
I really didn't mind

For every time I traveled
I passed through these woods
Hoping that one day
I might see her again

Many thought her a myth
Others a demon or enchantress
But I knew her as only one thing
The Fox-Tailed Girl

And perhaps she was an enchantress
Wandering the forest before dawn
With her golden brown tail
And a sly look in her eye

The moment I had laid eyes upon her
I knew I was in love
The kind of far off longing
That only dreams can sate

As the sun began to rise
I stopped my wagon off the path
And took a long drink
From a crystal clear creek

I the washed my face
Clearing my tired eyes
And as I looked up
I was startled and taken aback

She stood there across from me
Leaning forward naked in the pure morning light
I looked away as best I could
But she only smiled and laughed

She appeared physically young
No more than 17 years old
but I knew better
That she was older than the trees themselves

Splashing water about
She began to play in the creek
A sense of annoyance crossed her
When I didn't immediately join in

Her tail was sleek and swayed about
As I watched I failed to notice
Her splashing me in the face
I fell over in surprise

Water rolled down my forehead
My hair was wet
And as I looked up
I saw it was raining

I was still in my cart
It appeared as though
I had fallen asleep
The sky was now overcast

I put my hood up
And continued on my journey
Wishing that my dream
Was more than just that

Leaving the deep green forest
I couldn't help but think
That I had seen something
Out of the corner of my eye

A pair of devilish eyes
Peering out from behind a tree
A wry smile and a golden brown tail
Or perhaps nothing at all

A beautiful young woman
Lived alone on the shore
Having lost her husband
In a far off war

Yet everyday she smiled
And walked along the beach
Peering across the sea
To a place beyond reach

In her wistful gaze
Did she hear a shrill sound
And when she turned she saw
A child on the ground

A brown haired boy
Crying in the sand
She quickly ran over
Scooping him up in her hands

She hushed the child
Amd held him tight
As the sun began to set
Leading into the night

She said "Come little one
Listen to the sea
Hold my hand
And walk with me"

His parents had abandoned him
To run off far away
Leaving that poor child
On the shore that fateful day

And though she wasn't his mother
She loved and cared for that child
Who grew up healthy
To be tall, strong and wild

The time came when that child
Free, began to roam
And the woman only smiled
When he departed and left home

Now again she was alone
Yet always happy never sad
She had raised a beautiful son
Of that she could be glad

Years past and one spring day
The boy returned to that shore
With his lovely wife
And the child that she bore

Now she could not hold back
The tears welling in her eyes
Having been alone so long
This was quite a surprise

That boy she had raised
Who was now a man
Smiled back at her
And held out his hand

He said "Sweet mother
Let's listen to the sea
Hold my hand
And walk with me"

The smell of autumn
Thick in the air
Colored leaves
The trees to wear
A quiet stream
Hidden and deep
A tender secret
The forest must keep
And presiding over all
The great harvest moon
Heralding winter
Coming thus soon

Meaning is meaningless
If it isn't also true
The world and what it is
Is the same to me and you

By believing something contrary
To the universe we see
We don't solve any problems
Or better you and me

So let's hold truth sacred
As the unknown's only key
Uniting under its banner
For it will set us free

Torrid mangled hair
Dark gnarled talons
Sunken features
And hollow thoughts

The steeples all have fallen
Under the pressure
Of weighted prayers
And the dead souls that spoke them

Communion with the beast
Only brought forth
A more vile form
Of corruption and emptiness

The nightmare it wrought
will stir unending
Throughout all dreams
Lest the church be rebuilt

Upon the bones of ages

Far beyond the steel grey towers
And flashing lights in evening hours
Through the old forests
And over the streams
Where birds still call
And stars yet gleam
Can a pool be found of silvery blue
Reflecting the heavens that we once knew
With tranquil waters
And wind in the trees
Can I find again
Who I used to be

Show me O Lord
Where you yet abide
For no longer can I see
Without you by my side

Dark sprits and men
Have led me astray
A thousand times
Throughout my days

Your word is true
The only key
Twisted by men
More cleaver than me

I am too simple
And easily swayed
To keep up with the demons
That dance in my brain

Come to me Lord
And show me the Way
That I might rest assured
At the close of the day

We are all wanderers,
growing restless if we stay too long in one place. The only weight that can hold us down is another person. Whether for good or ill.

-Hadrian Veska

I approached the garden
That lay outside the city wall
The arched gate loomed over me
Overgrown with roots and tendrils

As I entered the air felt different
The sky itself seemed to twist and swirl
All around me autumn leaves
Gently floated to the ground

I found this strange
Seeing as it was nearly spring
As I listened closer
I could hear a voice in the breeze

Continuing through the garden
I saw many strange plants and trees
Some of which I recongnized
As being long extinct

I came to a clearing
With a ancient Armorn tree
That presided over
A circular reflective pool

Looking further, I noticed a figure
Sitting on the edge of the pool
It appeared to be a veiled woman
Holding some strange form of harp

Only then did I realize
That the voice on the air was hers
She sang a sweet sunken song
Lost in a bygone age

Though the language she sung in
Was entirely foreign to me
I understood her words
In a primordial way

Her words and resonant music
Touched me and told me of things
Things that had both happened
And things that were yet to come

I sat down in the garden
She payed me no heed
Nor did I want her to
I simply wished to listen

To the blind songstress of the garden

Step one:
Agree that science must be objective

Step two:
Disagree with and dismiss any objective evidence contrary to your beliefs or philosophy

Can a machine love
Will it ever be able?
If advanced enough
Will a soul enable?

Can they feel affection
Whether real of fake
And when they are hurt
Will their hearts break?

Will they watch their loved ones
And begin to cry
Wondering why it is
That they all must die?

Will they sit alone
At the edge of the earth
With memento in hand
To remember their worth?

Will they do better than us
When we are gone?
Will they follow our path
Or mark a new dawn?

And in the end
Will they look back and smile
On their creators that taught them
Love is worth while?

The waters stagnate
From clear to green to black

Ink like and thick
I stare into them

They foam and froth
But it amounts to nothing

A purity emanates
From the black liquid

It is pristine now
No debris floats its surface

No solids or oils
Cloud its perfection

I crouch to get a closer look
I’m excited to observe it

I am eager but calm
I am relaxed and empty

I am a receptacle
For this pure water

Dark and sweet
But only for now

For a times, time
And half a time

I will wait here
By the stagnant water

The water that is called pure
And I will dream

I will dream and I will speak
To one that I have known

And in my dreams awake
No longer a vessel

But whole

We heard the words
But knew not what to say
So we returned
To the work of the day

Strange folk had come
From unknown place
To share with us
And with our race

They spoke with ease
Yet moved not their tounge
They spoke for hours
Until the lights hung,

To this day I can't recall
The greater of things they said
Nor their ancient stories
Which now have left my head

The only thing I do remember
Is a repeated phrase they spoke,

"Then, then when the sky is red,
And shadows bloom
Inside your head,
When the heavens break
And all is dead,
Then you will know
What we have said."

Be proud
Not prideful

I found myself in a strange and desolate place
A dull mist filled the fields to my left and right
As my eyes adjusted, I saw an otherworldly sight
Stretched as far as the eye could see
Were countless unmarked graves

Curious I observed the graves
And noticed that every so often
A name would be carved into one of them
Yet no matter how much I strained my eyes
I could not make out any of the names

For a time i continued to watch
The slow methodical and almost ritualistic
Carving of the obscured names in the cold stone
And as I did, I noticed a figure
Standing alone among the graves

The shrouded being began to move towards me
And though it did, I dare not move
It continued its approach
Until it stood right before me
Dwarfing me in both size and spirit

The figure's very aura demanded a somber reverence
It looked as though it was Death itself
Yet somehow I knew it was far more ancient
Before words could leave my dry mouth
The entity began to speak

"Ea Krynium Mar"
Why do you from outside
Walk among the nameless tombs
that fill this forgotten place?"
For this I had no answer

"Do you not know where you are?
You are in the place of unending silence
This is where those unborn come to rest
Those whose names were never uttered
And those whose eyes never witnessed the light."

As he spoke a thousand more names
Were etched into the blank tombstones
And their pace did not lessen
This place only grew more burdened

And ever more silent.

It had happened so long ago
None now there could recall
How or why the helmets and armor
Lay at the bottom of the shallow sea

Like clockwork at dusk
Such relics would wash ashore
Battered, rusted and torn
To lay on the white sand beach

The children of the nearby village
Loved to pick the prettiest pieces
And bring them back as souvenirs
To decorate their little huts

The adults of the village didn't mind
But they were warry of certain obiects
Namely the black boxes and drums
Full of pointed or rounded cylinders

Years ago thinking it to be junk
A villager threw one such box in a fire
The result sounded like a great host
Of lightning striking over and over

Some of the villagers thought
The boxes could be used to make fire
But none of them yet have deciphered
How the strange objects work

No, for the most they are content
Living in their riverside village
Happy and oblivious
That the world ended long ago

My footsteps were dampened
By the cool grey stone
As I walked down
The cold and empty hall

On my right and left
Were rows and rows of cells
This place must have been a prison
Long ago before it was abandoned

Dusty light fell down
Through the small barred window
Passing through it I noticed
It felt much thicker than air

At the end of the hallway
I came to a wood panel door
Reinforced with metal
But it appeared to be unlocked

I gently turned the ****
And enter the room behind
It was small room furnished by
Nothing but a crude chair and table

Shutting the door behind me
I realized that
There were no other entrances
Or exits to the room

It was rather dark
Dust and particles filled the air
The only light
Came from a lamp on the table

On that table, besides the lamp, were
Various old files, Empty film canisters
And a curious movie projector
Devoid of any film

Searching further I found
One of the canisters
Actually contained a film
In immaculate condition

Curious I picked it up
And fed it through the projector
Once I was sure it was in place
I turned the machine on

Nothing happened at first
And then the opposite wall
Burst into animation
As the film began to play

There was an eye
I was not sure
If the movie was playing
Until I saw it blink

And I do not know
How long I watched it
For it managed to hold
My unwaivering attention

Other scenes began to play
And they flowed from one to the next
The longer I watched
The less I understood of what I saw

The visions on the screen
Became increasingly stranger
I felt both sick
And horribly uneasy

The only thing I could now make out
Was a dark lanky hand
Stretching and curling around
Around a door frame

Only then did I realize
I had stopped watching the screen
long ago

All alone,
on a journey, I lost my way;
as I stood still, my heart wandered.
But now I can walk again,
as far as I need to;
yes, ever since I met you
on this road.


The song travelers sing,
though I don't know it,
sounds familiar to me
as long as I'm with you.


If the world we dreamed of
exists anywhere,
let's go look for it,
beyond the wind.
The freezing dawn,
the parched midday,
the trembling night;
let's go see what's at their end.

Many seek knowledge all their lives
And certainly they attain it
Yet no seeker of knowledge
Has ever attained wisdom


This is for one singular reason
Knowledge does not lead to wisdom
No wisdom is only grasped
When one knows the truth


The wise man does not seek knowledge
For he knows this is vain
He begins his search at truth
Looking for its signs all about


And he finds them
In the bubbling brook
The swaying trees
And the quiet world around him


The sun of the day
Is his friend and companion
And the moon of night
Is his watchful guardian


His world is at peace
And ever shall it be
Even when all knowledge
Has passed out of memory

Solemn towers
Ornate broken arches
An ancient place
Past all living memory


The curious may seek it
Yet never will it be reached
Though they may walk
To the edge of the earth


Ever visible yet just out of grasp
Perhaps beyond the mortal plane
Some call it the home of the gods
Others fear it and turn away


It is said that one man
Walked his whole life
And near death he stood
At the gates of that place


At his death they opened
And a beautiful feathered woman
Whisked him away
Through the ancient gates


The great gates closed
The moment they entered
Perhaps never
To be opened again


And the sun never set
Nor will it ever rise
In that distant realm
Beyond the waking world

I heard the wind in the trees
As I walked along that old wall
Weathered by time and storm

I ran my hand along it
And soon came to a groove
Between two damaged stones
Curious I put my eye to it

I peered through the crack
In that ancient crumbled stone
And what I saw
I could scarce comprehend

Uncategorized geometric shapes
Rotated in place
Encompassing a single point
Of pure darkness

The point gave off
An almost visible aura
That filled my head
With an unknown emotion
Which I could only label
As a type of fear

It pulsated
Gently at first then grew
Until it rocked the very air
With its movement

As its stength waxed
The shapes began to twist
Contorting, falling apart
And then reforming themselves

It came to the point
Where I had to cover my ears
But it did no good
As the very fluid in them
Vibrated with the strange energy

Yet in an instant it was over
The darkness aswell as the shapes
Folded in on themselves
And took a new form

The form of a man
Moulded in eternal darkness

The entity seemingly looked
Directly at me through the stone
With midnight eyes
As dark and irredeemable
As the void itself

As quickly as it arrived
The being disappeared
In a wisp of smoke

And I heard the wind in the trees

History repeats itself
None know that better than I
Having lived with the curse
Of immortality

I've seen empires rise and fall
Great persons change the world
Only be ridiculed and forgot
Lost to time immemorial

After millenia of watching
I came to a sickening revelation
That humaity is trapped
In an endless cycle of destruction

I have seen the world itself end
Not once, but three times
And I can feel in the air
The fourth end coming

Perhaps this is the fate of man
Punishment for his grevious sins
Yet I cannot bear to watch
Such suffering again

Maybe now it is time
I stop watching these endless cycles
And use this curse that was put upon me
To stop them once and for all

In my dreams does she walk
With unparalleled beauty
And the horns of demons
Adorning her head

I know her intent
To ****** me to darkness
And though I'm aware
I do nothing to stop her

Perhaps because I pity her
And hope I can save her
More than likely though
I've already fallen

Under her dark spell

A simple bright flower
Just now budding
On a breezy green hill
Overlooking a valley

The wind carried a soft voice
And a pleasant aroma
That mingled with each other
Dancing over a meadow

Then my attention turned
To a lone oak tree
Standing strong and tall
Yet ever gently shifting

I was at peace
So you can understand my dismay
When I opened my eyes
To an empty piano
And a bow on a stage

The dust flows across the ashen plains
Since ancient times has it ever blown
From the far off lands beyond
Where neither light of sun or moon
Pierces the primordial fog

Ever have the silent wanderers
Traveled in their great pilgrimage
Across the enduring heights
To reach that solemn place
Where the lord of pyrestone lies

Upon that path do the spirits also walk
Never more than a wisp of etheric light
Mourning the lost souls below
Who without their mortality
May never return to the living

When dreams may return to that land
The ancient bells shall toll
Off in distant towers never constructed
And when they resound in the deep
Those of the pyre may rise once more

From their tombs of cinder and ash

From heaven we fall
From dust we rise
Our broken ruins
Beneath our eyes

Since the world was born
And all was dark
When the Watcher stood
And left his mark

In the shadow we lost
Our sense of light
As we cried out
Into the endless night

After unknown time
We looked to the sky
Hoping creation
Would just let us die

Then amid the void
Was a deepening light
Reminding our race
To finish the fight

And so we rose from the ash
Of our fallen design
To strive for the heavens
And follow our sign

A torn banner fluttered in the wind
As I climbed those ancient steps
That were carved long ago
Into the side of the mountain

The forests and flowers
Were just beginning to bud
The scent of earth and spring
Filled the flowing air

The closer to the top I got
The older the staircase looked
As if it was built down from the top
And not up from the bottom

I took the last step and was hit
By the rising sun in the east
It was warm and especially welcome
On such a brisk spring morning

As my eyes adjusted to the light
I saw a strange sight in the sky
It looked like giant tears
Hanging from the thick clouds

As I focused
I realized it was a city
Dangling from the heavens
And sparkling in the sunlight

I was perplexed
Until I looked down the *****
Past the mountains and the sun
Into an endless pool of stars

Moonlight reflected
Off her long black hair

Pale skin illuminated
In lush sweet grass

Something sinisterly seductive
Hid behind her innocent smile

The closer she came
The darker the sky grew

Until the moon was covered
And I could see nothing

Her hand touched mine
In that inky darkness

I felt as if the sun
Would never rise again

And that thought
Filled me with pleasure

Sometimes you need to be torn down
To realize you had no foundation


-Hadrian Veska

On the sloping banks
Of Sinmar-Lein
The sun sinks low
And the moon does beam
Down to still waters
Clouded and deep
Hiding strange things
Their secrets to keep
Until time is 'ore
The world passed away
When the skies have gone dark
And the oceans turned grey
When all have forgotten
What lies there below
From legend to myth
And from myth to unknown

We had conquered the earth
Destroyed it and rebuilt
Time and time again
Throughout millenia


We then turned our attention
To the cosmos beyond
And begun a grand search
For the spark of life


Thousands of years past
And in that time
We came to know
That we were alone in the universe


Yet amoung our lonliness
Strange thoughts and structures
Not of human design
Were left unexplained


The majority of these things
Discovered deep in the earth
Forgotten by untold eons
Lost to both space and time


And there is where we found it
The inscriptiom that led us
To a greater understanding
That we never should have attained


Now we knew for certain
That we were indeed not alone
Life was not seperated
From us by space


No it was separated by time


One hundred and fifty
Million years ago there was a race
Of strange creatures that roamed
The very earth we call home


Intelligent beings beyond even
Our wildest comprehension
For millions of years
Did their empire stand


They were masters of the mind
Strange beings that desired nothing
But the accumulation
Of all knowledge in existence


Great libraries
Filled their antediluvian cities
Only a few of their texts however
Have ever been found


The ones that were found
Spoke of impossible things
Great past events and
Strange occurrences yet to come


They spoke not in past or future
All was present to them
And those that read their words
Often felt weak or ill


There is no record
Of their sudden destruction
No war or collapse
To explain their disappearance


Some say they ascended
Beyond all physicality
Others say they never left
Though this notion can't be placed


Save for a gnawing terror
That began to grow


Within the minds of men

Dust and worn leather bound books
Some older than the ancient tower
In which they were stored


A small fire crackled
Its embers ever threatening the books
Yet never quite reaching them


An old man sat in his chair
Neither awake nor asleep
But somewhere in between


There was an open book on the table
Sitting next to his the wooden chair
The lock on its cover laid open


Whispers in the dark
Swirled about the room
Strange runes illuminated in the book


The whispers grew louder
To a near audible level
Then the fire went out


But in a moment it was rekindled
Replaced by a burning eye
Of cinder and black ash

The little things of life
Matter most

A kiss, a hug
From someone close

Even a thought
Goes a long way

Just a simple smile
Can make someone's day

Cherish the people
And things you hold dear

Do this and happiness
Will always be near

The ocean above
The sky below
Winter leaves
And autumn snow

Twinkling stars
Shine all around
Accompanying the hum
Below the ground

And through the night
Shall I watch awake
Lest the earth fall
And the heavens quake

Oh,
Do the petals float
In the breeze
On hills remote
Bright and vibrant
Though unaware
On their breif lives
No thoughts they spare
Oh how I wish
To be like they
Not fearing change
Or life's decay
Yet I worry
And so often so
I don't cherish the world
Or people I know
As I look to the hills
Covered in snow
Where no flowers bloom
Or green things grow
I shed a tear
But smile too
For they will return
And be made new
And so shall I
Be renewed
With springtime showers
And morning dew

Be still for a moment
Listen for an hour
Calm yourself
Commune with your heart
Release your fear and doubt
Your anxiety and pain
Spend time seeking
Spend time waiting
Wait upon the Lord
Be still and know
That He is God
Receive His peace
The joy of his Spirit
And His love everlasting

Far golden city
Soaked in an eternal sunset
Where the end has already come

The wind whispers
And the rivers yet flow
But nothing there grows anew

Time in that place lies docile
Bound up by ancient spells
Beneath the ever setting sun

Pristine yet dormant
Both always and never to be
Will that golden city lie

Waiting for the rest of creation
To arrive at end of day

The strange man presented it to me
A device that would allow me to travel
To any point in the past

Being an archaeologist
I marveled at this opportunity
And took the mechanism from him

He gave me instructions
That I only half listened to
I was far to excited to pay attention

Before I knew it he was gone
I stood alone with the device
Cupped into the palms of my hands

It seemed simply enough to use
So I walked out the door
And turned it back 100 years

Unsurprisingly I was standing in a field
With no buildings to be seen for miles
After all this city had only been built recently

I also realized I could chose a location
So naturally I chose ancient Egypt
And set it back 1000 years

I stood before the great pyramids
Still standing 1000 years ago
Albeit a bit less weathered

For a time I simply watched
Perhaps I was there for an hour
Perhaps several years I could not tell

As I watched I got an ingenious idea
I would go back and see
The very construction of the pyramids

So i re-calibrated the device
And set it back another 2000 years
The world warped around me

When I arrived I saw the great structures
Still standing in their majesty
No sign of any recent work on them

So I traveled back another 1000 years
To a date that many historians
Believe was the starting point of their construction

And there they still stood
Though something seemed odd about them
What it was I could not say

I thought about how far to go back again
While I contemplated this
A figure approached in the distance

It looked as though
They were reaching out to me
Though they shouldn't be able to see me

Before I knew it they were upon me
I quickly turned the dial
In a maddened panic

My thumb slipped
The dial slid back uncontrollably
Going back more that 50,000 years

I tried to stop it
But to no avail
The dial kept turning, kept going back

Farther and farther
I lost all track of space or time
Until finally, the device stopped

I looked at the machine
It did not display a year
In fact it seemed quite broken

I looked up and to my surprise
I still saw those ancient monoliths
Yet now they stood over a lush forest

The sky was dark
Illuminated only by a far off red
Emanating from the beyond the stars

And then I saw it
That primordial creature
That appears within all our dreams

I knew now that I was outside of time
And so was this timeless titan
That stood before the great pyramids

It stood tall over the earth
With outstretched arms
A low hum came from within it

And I recognized the sound
And it filled me with dread
It was the sounds we all hear

The sound when we are alone before sleep
The droning in our heads
When all else is quiet

I covered my ears
Before those towering monoliths
That stood here, long before time began

That is how he kept us
Trapped within this thing
That we call time

And we would never be free
The droning continued
And it would for all eternity

Always gnawing
In the back of our minds

Her fate was far worse than death
Fused to that ancient tree
An inseparable mass of delicate skin
And fragile bones

Like a macabre piece of art
Was she displayed in those dark woods
Her exposed ribcage showing
A bright red heart

Eternally pumping blood
Into a pool beneath the tree
Her skin pale white
And a sly smile on her face

Her deep green eyes
Enjoying every moment of her torture

A discordance echoes among the stars.
Pleiades cries out
And Orion hangs his head,
For they know
What that pale red star brings.
A great and unseen calamity,
Whose course is set.
Predicted but forgotten.
The great judgment,
That they call Wormwood.

The sun glossed spires
The turn tide seas
The melting skies
The towering trees


Long lost land
Past to myth and lore
Where sun doth sleep
And moon no more

As I stood upon the hill
Mist grew over the rocks

Jagged they stretched
Out of the ground

And sitting upon one of them
I noticed a peculiar figure

Drapped in a tattered cloak
It sat solemnly in the fog

I drew closer and introduced myself
But I recieved no reply

Then after a time the being moved
Bringing it's legs to the ground

As it did I jumped back
For it stood several heads above me

Though its presence encompassed me
It so moved forward to where I stood

As the figure stood before
I noticed time begin to slow

The being's cloak shifted in the wind
Revealed strange bones underneath

Time drew still and as it did
The cloaked figure spoke

"Raalm Nerakka Sitar.
What stands before you
Is insurmountable, and what lies behind You is unattainable. Yet as with your fathers before you, and those who would seek the gates, I will see you to the end."

With these words, the strange being
Bent down to my level

Staring into me
With his hollow eyes

And then he vanished
Along with the fog

A curious thing happened
When someone took an interest in me
I decided to be myself to ward them off
But it only convinced them to stay

I had no experience with such a reaction
It confounded me
But she simply called it
love

I've aged a thousand years
In the dark waters of my mind

Who I am I cannot be sure
Someone or something lost

I remember distant ripples
Of words and faces I once knew

Colorless and muted they sink
In the treacherous waters

Until they are one
With the very darkness itself

They didn't have much
But they were happy
Loving each other unconditionally
And with all of their heart

Together they laughed
Together they cried
And on the cold winter nights
They would hold each other close

But there came a time
When he had to leave her
For a new job
In a far off place

He told her that
They didn't gave enough money
For both of them to move
As he concealed the true reason

The job he was going to do
Was less than ideal
And he feared that if she knew
She would not allow it

She said goodbye to him
With tears in her eyes
As he left her sight
Beyond the horizon

He would be gone
For over a year
And considering the job
He may not return at all

He arrived at the factory at night
The conditions were terrible
But that was the reason
The pay was so high

Due to the chemicals being used
Many that worked there
Became sick and died
Within a matter of years

He put this thought aside
Working day and night
As much as his body would allow
Thinking only of her

After only a few weeks
He could feel the effects
Of working at the plant
As it was now hard to breathe

Working on
Month after month he continued
To secure his future
Aswell as her's

It came down to the last week
In a crowded bar
Many of the factories employees
Gathered to celebrate

He normally did not drink
But he thought this was cause
For him to celebrate
So he began drinking heavily

He laughed and talked
With one of his coworkers
And before he knew it
She was kissing him

To drunk to stop
They went back to his apartment
Where they both had a night
They would never remember

In the morning he woke up
She was gone
But judging by the surroundings
He put it together

He had cheated
Cheated on the woman
That he was doing
All of this for

The entire plane ride back
He hung his head in shame
He would have to tell her
He didn't have it in him not to

When he finally arrived
She greeted him at the door
With a big smile
And wide open arms

He forced a shallow smile
Embracing her felt like
The arms of guilt
Coiling around him

He told her he had something
That he needed to tell her
So they both sat down
As she awaited his words

He fidgeted them began to speak
He told her everything
About his work
And about that night

A few solitary tears
Rolled down his face
He was prepared to leave
As he waited for her response

She looked him up and down
Then smiled and grabbed him
Bringing him in close
And whispered in his ear

"Don't cry my love.
Because anything we do
We have to do together.
Do not feel guilty,

It's ok.
Because I love you.
Unconditionally,
And with all of my heart."