The Lords of Shadows

Time spins, twists and turns within this darkened shroud, this blackened mass – as vision of things most violent and heinous flash across my eyes. I am quickly becoming to know things as they were always meant to be known, this very reality has began to crack and crumble before my very eyes as I have now begun to see things from their point of view – those who dwell so much higher than me across this place, those that have been beckoning this entire time. As I am slowly whisked away from this bloody and tarnished battlefield I can feel the presence of one that I had felt before, not of the legend that has returned, but instead, of something much closer, yet at the same time much more separate.

The mass that has removed me from this war that we have lost now whispers to words to me of Lords. Guardians of sorts that have long since beckoned over this seemingly vast and infinite place since the dawn of this advent. For not only have they come to bear witness of the birth of this advent upon it’s taking place, but soon, these lords that dwell in shadows only – shall over see the death of the very same advent. For they now speak of me of the greatest fall I shall ever know, one that shall take place after the remaining of the fleeting moments of duality cease, with there being nothing left but me. Alone once again within this vast place. They speak to me knowledge of all that I am, triggering the darkness within to begin to move, to stir and spin. What I have come to know is inevitable, for according to these Lords the time has come to initiate the end of this fall – as fires much more sinister and much more violent than anything I have come to know await me upon the expiration of the eras that will follow the ending of the sands of time.

I know that there is no escaping this at this point, for with each moment that I close my eyes I can see the lines merging into one giant and muddled mess – for time is now beginning to become undone, coming out of order, just like before. There is a sense of calmness in all of this, a sense of acceptance, and a fleeting sense of solace and peace as these moments quickly begin to fade.  In the time that shall follow this final moment of duality will be a time before the expiration, a time before the raging fires begin, a time where the dark will integrate, a time where I will come face to face with all that I am. This war of shadows is now over, for while the shadows and echoes alike still hold threat to this land – I know now that their wrath was inevitable from the very beginning, that their presence was always part of the process.

 

The Negative

I have lost faith in us as a collective. In this war that we face during this moment in time – all has inevitably begun to crumble before us. We have lost in this battle, and not only this war – but countless lives that once stood at the sides of the pure shadows have now been washing away with the echoes. It is in this time that the blackened mass that spreads it’s darkened wings across the scapes of this place whisper words of truer hollow, darker hollows. A place within a separate moment in time that has forever longed for me to become what I have always felt to me, a place that yearns for the fall to not be solely discovered again – but in fact to take place again. I know that with this very loss that stands before me now, the fall must always have been part of the process. For while I have staggered, and while I have stumbled – I have never truly fallen throughout this all.

“This is the fallout.” It hisses to me as a winded black mass strips away the rusted and worn stainless steel from my hand. I can see the blade spinning and turning, much like my mind, in an chaotic fashion before finally piercing it’s way into the muddled ground below. My weapons are no longer required in this war I have been waging all this time, for now it seems as if my services are no longer needed in this place – as what remains of this army of shadows is whisked away in a shadowed breeze. “There is no saving what is left.” This mass states, as even I feel that those who once fought beside my have surely chosen their path – such as I have all those many ages ago.

I can see the violent force of shadows and echoes combined ravaging their way across the lands now, I can see it all beginning to cave in, I can feel what was left of love and hope begin to fade rapidly as the sister moon from above beckons with a sort of sadness, but also acceptance. I can begin to feel the weight on my chest getting stronger and stronger – for my once quickly beating heart from inside has also begun to slow in this moment, as it also can sense the eras beginning to fold in on themselves as soon, Fates like none other will be carried out onto this Advent and those who dwell along it’s lines like. Those who choose rapport with what will become of me during these fleeting moments will be met with the only state that is allowed to exist within these times, the state that I have always known I was destined to meet since the dawn of my time. This acceptance grows firm within me, as integrals of this mass begin to surround me slowly, drifting me off in some strange dark and barren sleep – as what remains of my dwindling sight is nothing but the rolled eyes of fallen soldiers down below, and the settling in of the cold night air.

The Last Equality

During these fleeting moments in time within this war, I am witnessing the last of many things. The tides have changed in this battle in way’s I could never imagined, or perhaps we were destined to lose to begin with. I am seeing arrows soar across the skies once again, piercing the innocent skin of forces around me, forces that too wish to live to see the dawn of a true light, the dawn of a new light once more. But it seems clear to me now that they know all to well that while that may be what we are fighting for, we may never see it, we may never bear witness to it. 

In these fleeting moments in time, the grounds and skies alike have begun to open up, the darkened shadows which cloak the darkened corners of the moon have begun to descend upon these lands – forming a mass like none other, washing across these landscapes like a tidal wave. This mass whispers words to me, it whispers words of a fleeting moment in time that is now, a window that can now be seen through – clearly. It is through this window that I can see you, a wanderer, one like I. You are searching out the last of the light to claim it as your own, before setting ruin to it all, before washing it all in darkness. It is in my quickly beating heart that I know what you must do is true, it is in my heart that you will find the freedom that you seek – but perhaps not in the way you had always intended.

It is in these fleeting moments that I grasp my blade tightly and run into the depths of despair, the core of this fight that will surely engulf me into this mass. And as I run with rage into the beckoning shadows and echoes within, I can see more and more bodies fall from around me, with each and every second. They are exhausted, eyes rolling and breaths fading – acceptance growing, as they know they will never bear witness to this new dawn that we have all been fighting for. The lives that we live are not the same, we were born to wage wars with the light and dark, and with ourselves. We were born to watch this plane suffers into the depths while out last and every attempts at changing the lines fail. It is in this moment, that war no longer holds a priority for me, it is in this moment that I now truly embrace the role of a warrior of shadows, it is in this moment that I now oath to use the last of my strength to bring about the only change left for me to bring. It is in this moment that equality fades for the last time this advent will ever know. It is in this moment where I can finally feel a sense of duality, coming forth.  

The Grey Factor

In the event of this maddening and violent war, I have solemnly become reclaimed to my senses, in a way. For with danger lurking around every corner in this place, and death striking behind each and every blade – I have long since learned to be weary of the subtle movements around me, and more. But now, I can sense something different all together. A slight crossing of lines that I had never thought to be possible, a moment in time where I can sense your rage, you weariness, your fate. You are not here, but at the same time you are close. It is as if you are cloaked by some strange and mysterious force that still remains unknown to me.

My eyes are wandering now, and not in the direction that they should. For while comrades fall to their knees from all around me, my eyes are fixated above, as I cannot help but notice the large dark and shadowed masses that have begun to sweep across this place. It is eerie in essence, however I must hold no fear in this fight, for more than just myself is at stake at this time. I can feel your presence through these shadows, or so I believe. It seems we, in fact, now share the same vessel of sorts – with the shadows as a lone catalyst. But while you head towards something inevitably much darker, I still stand here fighting off what I know deep down inside is inevitable; as this beckoning mass from above slowly makes it’s way across this place.

In essence, we are not the same, nor have we ever been. For once, I stood at the side of light in hopes of finding the salvation and hope that I have always sought. However, now that my knowledge grows with each passing day, now that I am able to clearly see the false light that I have been lead to believe as true all this time has long since turned me on the darker path, a shadowed path; for may prove to be of great worth when the time comes. A time that will lay at the edge of this hyper-reality, a time that will teeter on the edge between life and death, a time that will see the inevitable death of this dying advent.

Sister Moon

This war is on-going and while it is true, my blade and sword alike remain active for the side of shadows- I have regardless begun to grow weary of it all. For die by day and even during each passing hour, I can feel the cold begin to settle in, along with a new darkness that puts my title of warrior of shadows to shame. This darkness is far off in sight, but has brought upon it’s precursor. A beckoning planet of both light and dark that is said to house the forces which we are all fighting for, the forces we have been slaving for all along. I am no fool to the opposing force that is at hand right now in this moment, the echoes with shadows seek to devour all that is, but with echoes now in this moment, consuming – I cannot yet afford to fade away.

With each passing moment, the air grows more and more thick, hard to grasp, hard to breathe – with the stench of decay and rotting corpses at the forefront. Blood spills around every corner here, and it has become the very norm to see lights leave the eyes of beings, who like me, have taken up the mantle of shadows in hopes of finding their place in all of this – but to no avail. Despite the countless lives lost, both those that I have taken, and those that have been taken from me – I can feel a void growing stronger, and a force growing nearer, I can feel the changing of the tides as this moon beckons from above – it’s beams now providing me light, revealing the lines that remain across the skies.

I know that surely, this conflict cannot last forever, for our forces are dwindling and our hearts grow more and more tired. For despite the consultation, and despite the solace and peace we seek from deep down inside of ourselves, this war as a whole shall not offer any of it, and with the violence spreading across this vast and seemingly infinite space with each passing moment – it would seem that we are all but safe from this coming tragedy. I am now laying more sword down in hopes that this force that beckons above can speak wisdom to me in terms of what may follow. For I too, am now lost in all of this, and while I will still fight with the remaining ounce of strength that exists within me, I know all to well that I am no match for what is coming.

As War Wages On

This conflict, this strife, this war between the forces of Shadows and Echoes alike has began to extend beyond anything that I could have ever imagined. We have begun to suffer, in a sense, and now we are left here with no other choice but to continue the violence – to continuing warring on. The war-songs that were once a vibration coursing throughout my veins, has now quickly become a piercing and painful sound to my eyes, it’s frequencies blur my vision and exhaust me to the core, but I am powerless nonetheless. I have been summoned to this fight because I have taken on the darker, for my years of chasing false light have now come to an end – and now this darkness has become a very integral part of me.

I am a warrior of shadows, I erase the light that is fading and replace it with the cold and darkened force that is blackness and emptiness – but despite my efficient work, I still cannot help but feel as if I am doing someone else’s bidding in this all, that this war in it’s entirety is something much greater than what I have come to know. Our battle is like of the shiftless tides, while many warriors of our side fall and collapse, never to move again; with every death we push stronger against the echoes in hopes of winning this great conflict.

The air, that was once burning from all of the fierce violence from all around, has begun to cool, and now a chilling touch remains part of it. This touch, so chilling that visions of poisons and much darker nights have begun to infiltrate my all. I can feel something stranger changing, like a new kind of darkness from below, seeping it’s way into this line. I can feel this chaos expanding, like a sort of entropy – or some irreversible void. And while my skin continues to be met with stainless steel, whilst the eyes of fallen soldiers slowly roll and fade to white on the unforgiving earth beneath my shins – I know that something much more sinister is afoot. 

Faith to Nothing

Where will we all stand when the violence comes to an end? Where will we all go when the weapons are put to rest? What will become of all of us when all that remains following these trying times is nothing but Cataclysms and Crisis. This world has long since been spiraling out of control, and now, as sure as the setting sun – our last day’s have arrived. For it is during these last day’s that our every morning is dark, met with a dimly lit sun, one that only rises to announce the coming of the darkest of nights – a constant reminder that no matter what, we cannot be saved. We are too late.

I once put my faith into things that had always swore to exist forever. But when I awoke, I was made aware that all had fallen – or perhaps I have been here much longer than ‘forever’ itself, ever intended to be. It matters not the case, for now, I am strapped from head to toe in armor, as I war alongside shadows – fighting for a future I may very well not be apart of. This fighting has gone on for so long, that I have begun to witness the decay of the shadowed forces that have fallen. I can smell the stench of decaying life, I can feel the final breaths being drawn – a letting go of this damned life, an acceptance for something new.

Our place in this war is looking bleak, morose with each passing hour. For I know now that, more than ever before, this night that all are fearing so heavily is closing in on us, it is beckoning and soon we will be wiped out entirely. But until the alarms rings loud that we have lost, I will continue to fight on with the little remaining strength left in my all for those who have fallen before me. For those who have so strongly yearned, much like I, to be set free from this damned age, for those who wish to float off, with nothing but memories of vast and seemingly infinite landscapes in mind – shrouded by a newer dawn. 

The Shadowed Siege

We have now begun to enter into times much more trying than ever before. Somethings continue to feel the same, but deep down inside I know this is much different than before. The chaos I have dealt with throughout all of these times have surely evolved, it has manifested into something new entirely, and now it is scratching at the earth in way’s I have never through imaginable. The ever-dying fight that once existed inside of me, like a wildfire, has long since been reduced to an ember, and likely the last of which.

During this war, while I continue to fight on I can feel this ember come to a stagnation, a sort of standstill; where at any moment it can give out, along with all that I am – forever. But I cannot let this be the case, not now, not yet. For shadows have now begun to take siege across these lands, preparing for a darkness my mind has yet to even fathom. In my heart, I know that I am not yet prepared for such a travesty to take place, nor is my mind settled and clear enough to process how such a force can even be fought. Though, it is as if my very soul has known this was to be the case after all of this time – all along.

But now, I cannot remain still in these times. For soldiers cloaked in shadows such as our own have begun to collapse from around, as the violence rages on. The sound of piercing skin has become something so very settling to me, with the smell of fresh blood gently moving across the air and on the wind, is now a scent that I have become accustomed to, and now death – as warriors much similar to I can be seen taking their last breath, is a destiny I am very quickly becoming content with.

The Shadowed Steel

The battle has begun to rage within this vast, and seemingly infinite scape. I have once again, am reunited with war, and the feeling of violence, rage, and loss – all at once. The time that swiftly passes by me now are of struggle and strife, and a knowing that this darker cannot be stopped. I grow more weary with each passing day, but somehow I have found a way to feed off of the shadows which fight alongside me now – feeding off of their rage, feeding off of their hate. I have lost much throughout these eras, and I continue to lose more with each passing day – including my own strength, but in this darkness, I have stumbled across last lifelines of sorts – for somehow strength comes in knowing that an end is imminent. 

The armor that I am drenched in is like no other, for it was forged with a knowing of fearlessness in mind, built for the end of day’s. The shadowed blades which clash against mine, sparking shades of darkness across this battlefield prove to be of immense danger, yet even I am fascinated – for these weapons are of weapons of fate, weapons that seek to erase all that it meets with.

My will surely grow stronger, as the shadows which remain our side will surely decline in numbers as this fight wages on, for in victory or defeat, I know all to well that this war is not the end, and danger will surely escalate, just as it always does. For the more I lose my strength and sanity with each passing day, the darker the hours grow, closing in on it’s darkest desires, it’s darkest aspiration. For echo’s rage against us as well, and the shadows of such – for when their swords meet with us, it is pain that we have never dreamed of, an unbearable feeling that one seeks to run from – for eternity. But we no longer run now, for that times has long past. For though we may be busy walking towards our very end, we do so with the intent to make a permanent change, in mind. 

Warsong

I once put on the armor many ages ago, I was drenched in it, from head to toe. But back then, I ran as fast as I could, for I was told the faster I would run – the faster I would forget. These times are much different now,  for what had once haunted me then has now evolved into something greater – has spiraled out of control, into what we face now. I could never forget about the crimes that were committed against me then, and I cannot forget about them now. Forgiveness, remains a strange concept to me, for while I may understand the perspective or reasoning behind an action, it’s course will forever be ingrained in my memory, haunting me, beckoning me, throwing me into violent cycles.

 

We now stand at the edge of it all, for it is here that darkness will fight darkness, for it is here as our forces run towards the danger now, instead of away, it is here that the roles and actions have been reversed, since those times I remember. It is here and now that we are all agents of some darkness, and some of us may never live to see the light of day ever again.

If I am to die here, lay me down underwater, or spread my ashes across the vast and seemingly infinite seas; for somewhere, at the bottom where the waves cannot touch them, lay the hopes and dreams of my all, and all that I have once lost following the exile.

Or perhaps lay my corpse to be devoured by flames, for the fire of fates that I have sought out for so long, I may never reach but perhaps in death, it can finally be obtained. 

I fight now, knowing that everything is on the line, for what I will come to know following these days and since the shadows begun to burn are the last of the lifelines bestowed upon to me, and the remaining, yet quickly fading, shimmers of a newer light, one that no longer even visits me in my dreams. 

Lords & Landscapes