1. |
Prelude
02:04
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Seven years have passed since that day.
It wasn't long after the sky fell that the kingdom followed.
Lands were burned, cities razed to the ground.
Once the machines invaded, it was only a matter of time.
Those who were killed were piled in mass graves.
Those who survived were imprisoned or enslaved.
The plan was flawless.
The execution was perfect.
Man fell like stalks of grain for the harvest at the precise and deadly strikes of the machines.
By the time we knew what happened, it was already over.
An empire grows! Our legacy dies! The foe lives on!
A king, trapped in his own prison, plots his revenge...
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2. |
Circuits Ablaze
03:57
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It's been seven years
Since our subjugation
Everything dear
to my heart has faded
Left here alone
In this cell of iron bars
Even then, they used to be ours
It's been seven years
And still all this hatred
Burns in my lungs
It rages unabated
Never before
Have I felt so powerless
It's been seven long years without rest
If I could just get out of here
I'd make sure their leader hangs high
I'll plead to the gods for their power
I'll make them regret that they left me alive
Oh, the bitterness lingers on the back of my tongue
Oh, I may be defeated but I won't stay that way for long
I'll never rest 'til they've met with my blade
I'll take my revenge
And render the circuits ablaze
This darkness sinks in
Consumes, engulfs me slowly
Torches long doused
Now reignite with fury
Power long lost
Is sent coursing through my veins
Through my rage through my anger
I summon my blade
And these walls can't contain me
I will not be cowed anymore
By these mindless
Machines from the sky
And even if they don't bleed
They burn just the same
If I could just get out of here
These villains will smolder and die
I'll sever their bodies asunder
Reduce them to ashes and none will survive
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3. |
Echoes
02:35
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Echoes
Voices in the wind
I can hear my ancestors calling
Voices in my head
Close my eyes I can hear them screaming
Breaches in the fates
Tearing holes through all of our
Existence is blurring
Something unreal is occurring
Powers from above
Fill my heart with the might and courage
Powers from below
Fill my hands with the flash and thunder
Allies of the void show yourselves
Joined with fire and shadow
Nothing will stand in my way
I will make things right
And through all the suffering these seven years have brought upon this earth
This isn't the final moment
And I will not turn my back and go
And if I followed the echoes of spirits through time
I thought I could find my way back
I thought I could find my way back home
Is no more
Just the land where we once stood proudly
Free but no more
We are bound fettered by our duty
Please hear my cry
We must fight and I can't do this alone
We are beaten but
With all our power we can defeat them
And through all the suffering these seven years have brought upon this earth
This isn't the final moment
And I will not turn my back and go
And if I followed the echoes of spirits through time
I thought I could find my way back
I thought I could find my way back home
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4. |
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(crowd)
Vermin!
Liar!
(Outlaw)
I'm alive...
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5. |
Execution
04:14
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Had the craziest dream, I was there with the king in a cave
The ruins collapsing my freedom a short climb away
The stone of the sky, yes he held it up high
And betrayed me to an early grave
I then heard a whisper, my son it is not yet your time
And then came a shock and I rose with a gasp and a cry
And now I've awoken, the king is dethroned
what a tragedy, my destiny is clear
I'm starting to think that this wasn't a dream
Say your prayers, my liege, your downfall is near
What happened, is it already too late?
That fool, he called them, and now he's lost us
everything, he has to pay
lies
such a clever disguise
children cover your eyes
or bear witness to an execution
The royal decree, all you heretics are cast out and shamed
The reddest of herrings, your highness, and very well played
How could I have known when you sought out the stone
That you held the pow'r to call them back home
But now that you woke them and could not control them
They've come to take back what they own
I only hope those bastards left you alive
Your greed has cost you, and now you've cost us
Everything, prepare to die
lies
such a clever disguise
children cover your eyes
or bear witness to an execution
I thought I could find my way back
I thought I could find my way back home
Your highness
Forgive me for my treason
But I'm sure you know
I'm sure you know I've got my reasons
Seven years is a long, long time to sleep
But my eyes are open now
My eyes are open
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6. |
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Outlaw are you still on the run
Are you still scared of everything and everyone
Out here in the fields where we first met their steel
Before we're departed, come on, let's get started
Outlaw won't you banish your greed
Will you help me defeat these infernal machines
They've taken our homes, they've taken our lives
I could use a friend 'cause I've got no one else to lose
After all, all we are are prisoners of destiny, it's true
But I implore you
That when you have the chance to choose
Ephemery or eternity
You'll draw your weapons
A legend rising
From vermin, from liar to hero
To where will you run when you can't go home?
Banish your fear and together
We'll unleash a fury their kind's never known
Outlaw are your daggers athirst
Are they ready to capture a future deferred
You'll steal and you'll fight and you'll kill for yourself
But this cause is greater, so will you draw blades for me
Outlaw will you stand at my side
Will you help me break dawn through this eternal night
My magic combined with your swiftness of dagger
The castle is captured, no one knows it better than you
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7. |
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Heretic it's good to see you
All these years I thought I'd lost you... Still,
There's something you should know
One more deal to grant my freedom
"Where's the Stone of the Sky?" he said to me
I led him there, he left me there to die alone
But I remain, risen and vengeant
The gods have breathed new life, I've seen the light
The crooked crown will hang from my knife
It's too late the time has long since passed
It's not fight or die
Or run or die it's when and where and how he dies
Heretic, oh understand me
His majesty has secrets of his own
He's not unlike you, you know
Through his blood runs arcane power
Through his sword forbidden magic, still
He labeled you, he cast you out to die alone
This kingdom made us outcasts
Do you think I wanted this
The hypocrite king will burn in Hell for this
This battle isn't ours to fight
The greed of the sword mage king called forth those beasts
His kingdom means nothing to me
Take another step back and see what you're asking me to do
I'll never turn from my revenge
And I'm not running scared
I am never compromising
He paid me not in gold but in steel
And now it's time to pay my debt
Two for every one that he slipped into my back
They got him running scared
They got him where I want him now
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8. |
Fire and Lightning
03:15
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My king, I'm glad I found you here
The outlaw lives and may be drawing near
Yes, I know the truth but greater tasks are at hand
The outlaw doesn't comprehend
His mind is filled with thoughts of his revenge
He says he plans to spill your blood but he must understand
That if he is to succeed it would spell our demise
(He will not succeed)
The fates have spoken, we must band together to survive
(If his eyes are closed, I still will make him see)
Let him come
Let him fight
I am ready for your challenge, outlaw
Draw your blades, and then you'll see
The punishment for treachery
Let him come
Let him fight
If his business isn't done, neither is mine
Let him come
Let him fight
I don't run from criminals and I don't flee from any mortal man
I don't see a reason why I shouldn't let him try his hand
My blade has beaten him before and this time I won't hide my strength
Let him once again taste my blade let him feel the blaze once again
My liege we must leave these petty fights behind
(We don't need his kind)
If we don't unite here then you will watch your kingdom die
(If death is his wish, I will grant him his demise)
Let him come
Let him fight
I am ready for your challenge, outlaw
Draw your blades, and then you'll see
The punishment for treachery
Let him come
Let him fight
If his blades are restless then so shall be mine
Let him come
Let him fight
All our lives leading up to this
We were spared, this is no coincidence
Destiny commands us to unite
We meet at dawn.
I sense him approaching
The inferno begs to be released
I will not stand for this insolence
The heretic knows not what he suggests
This ends tonight.
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9. |
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10. |
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With the outlaw defeated and forced to flee, the king took to preparations for the battle ahead. Cleaning and sharpening his blade, the inferno of battle still bright in his eyes and spirit, the king saw his mission become ever clearer before him. He must defeat the machines and retake his kingdom at all costs, heroes of shadow be damned.
Through the night he blazed incantations and envisioned the flaming steel littering the battleground like the discarded weapons of his surrendering troops seven years ago, feeling the warmth flow through his blade.
As the heretic approached from the east, his gaze immediately fell on the signs of recent battle, knowing full well what had taken place. His heart sank. The prophecies, the echoes insisted the three were to unite to be victorious. But there was no time for lectures, let alone dread. The enemy was fast approaching.
Power surged from their hands and sword as they met with their foe! Swirling vortices of fire and lightning swept across the plains, charred remains of trampled grass crackling as they burned, their ashes swept away in the powerful gales of wind that followed. Screams of metal being torn apart tore across the dawn sky, the glint of ruined machines reflecting the deep burn of the rising sun. The heretic and king advanced, their broken adversaries left crumpled in their wake.
But their numbers only seemed to grow! For every one machine that fell, two took its place, weapons raised ever vigilant, ever violent, denying its defeat, until suddenly, they moved all at once, falling into ranks, a dissonant hum rising from the steel army until, with a hideous battle cry, they sounded the counter offensive.
Exhausted and defeated, the heroes had no choice but to run. As the battlefield left sight, the heretic turned and gave one final glance to the horizon...
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11. |
Souls in the Darkness
04:52
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Out here
High in the atmosphere
Thin air
I'm leaving it all behind
If I have to be alone
Then at least I can be free
With an eastbound shadow cast on the land
There's nothing left back there for me
and out on the borders
It's silent and alone
I look back on the wasteland
That used to be my home
And aeons will pass
and our memories as a race
Will all fade away
No trace of existence
Just souls in the darkness
What's this
Rows of my fellow man
Enslaved
Blood on their dirty hands
Resigned to servitude
To these parasite machines
This is not my fate
I will not believe
That it's subservience
Or slavery
Out on the borders
It's silent and alone
I look down on my brothers
Shackled in their own home
If aeons shall pass
And our legacy is lost
And we'll all but be gone
Then I just can't accord this
I summon the darkness
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12. |
Revenge / Blackout
05:44
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Under cover of night, the Outlaw descended. The work camp was hidden in a valley between two mountains on the border of the kingdom, and the Hero of Shadow easily found places to disappear, out of the sight of the ever-watchful eyes of the machines standing guard.
One by one, row by row, he awoke his fellow men and women, unshackling their wrists and ankles after years of servitude. Not knowing what was amiss, the newly and yet to be freed began to wonder aloud, frightened, amongst themselves. Before the Outlaw could silence them, he heard the clash of metal against stone and swiftly turned.
There before him stood three armed machines, weapons drawn, prepared to fight.
The Outlaw unsheathed his daggers and simply smiled.
You don't frighten me
This is my destiny
Your choice -- Stand down or die
I see you're feelin' brave
So soon you'll feel my blade
You see, I got fate on my side
So one by one you're gonna fall
You met your match, I am unstoppable
I promise you won't live to see the sun
The darkness rages and it's clear
Though I can't see it, I can feel your fear
I love a good fight, so please forgive me
I don't have time so I'll end you quickly
We want, we want revenge
Come on, we don't have long
The work has kept you strong
I'll grant you all my power for the night
Armor and swords of black
Let's take our kingdom back
Together into battle we will ride
And so by dawn they're gonna fall
They met their match, we are unstoppable
Tonight belongs to all of humankind
Where men are made and martyrs lost
Though you may die, you will die for your cause
Our battle cry will send them reeling
Let's let 'em hear us, shout it with me
We want! We want! Revenge!
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13. |
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14. |
The Beginning
02:47
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I remember the fires lasted for days. We gathered around them, and as meager as our supplies were, they became the centers of feasts and revels celebrating the three saviors of humanity. Weaponry and scrap metal were strewn across the plains where the last battle had occurred, and some of the leavings of war still lay there, grass and mud swallowing the reminders whole, the earth claiming its spoils as its own.
The castle was returned to all its former glory and it hadn't been long after the celebration had ended that another one took place within its walls. The king had once again taken to the throne, and the heretic never was seen very far from him. Magic was no longer forbidden as dangerous; instead it was encouraged and overseen by the heretic, and this ushered in a new era of enlightenment and prosperity.
As for the outlaw, he was seldom seen after the kingdom was restored. On the final day of the feast, drunk with wine and out on the street to get some air, I swear I saw him, back turned to the castle and heading for the gates. As he grew near, he simply nodded acknowledgement and left without a word. When he passed through the gates, he vanished, never to be seen again.
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Single White Infidel recommends:
The End of Progress
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