1. |
Prologue
03:52
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A destiny carved from nature’s design
Lost within the mists of time
Shall be realised as one pursues
The pathway to a forgotten truth
Oceans quake, empyrean sundered
Creation devoured by the void
Behold oblivion!
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2. |
Awakening
08:03
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I hear the sound of the earth falling
Dying smoke leaves burning embers
Collapsing stone shattered upon me
I lie trapped, I’m all alone - blinded by darkness
Lying here wondering how this came to pass
I fear my memories have faded, must be forgetting myself
A cruel paradox as I’ve stumbled into existence
Seem to be reborn, yet buried in my tomb
Don’t even know who I am anymore
Could my life be worth living still?
Or should I just stay and die as a stranger?
But I must be alive for some reason
Have to know who I’m supposed to be, or who I could become
Then something awakens a strength inside
Stirring me to rise from the ashes
My eyes now wide awake
Shown all I couldn’t see
My own wounded state reflects this place of ruin
My scarred wrists a sign of harm I had endured
I faced death still I was spared, get to live another life
What could fate have in store?
Enticed by a glow from a stairwell
Inviting me to find what lies above?
A voice, been struck by its song
Echoing through the silence of a desolate chamber
Containing remnants of statues, scriptures and tapestries
But high on a pedestal stands a book
An ancient tome holding a prophecy
I turn the pages of illumination, telling of divinations realised
Through a great wall of mist arrived The Wayfarer
A higher being foretold to guide the people to a faraway mystical tree
Whose Song held the key, the knowledge to evolve all of mankind
My gaze strays away from the book, so mesmerised
Ornately carved panels, three
In the heart of this fallen edifice, a triptych illuminating me
Between depictions of discord and harmony
Stands The Wayfarer before a pillar of light
Encircled by The Myrehsia Tree
It rises through the sky, and so must I
Seek far for the truth, reach for the answers
Let the tree revive my lost memories
I wonder what awaits beyond?
Leave this instant and search for answers
Nothing left to lose, a life to restore
Run up the pathway to destiny's door...
...crashes wide open
Haunting figures appear
Instinct takes over
No choice but to run
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3. |
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Run for survival, towards freedom
A girl hunted through the dark must escape these demons
Lost souls crowding eerie streets with death in their eyes
Far away the wall of mist hangs from a blackened sky
My downfall could come if I reside here forever
But this is all I know - do I dare surrender?
Bracing myself for what comes next
Frantically searching for a way
To reach the other side
I hope and pray
Haunting figures reappear
Heart’s pounding out of rhythm
I refuse to succumb
No, I won’t give in
Oh, I dread to be lost in a…
Labyrinth (Labyrinth)
Trapped by this wasteland, entangled in a maze
Labyrinth (Labyrinth)
Must be more to life than this forsaken place
Suddenly screams of terror sear through my mind
Their calls are so familiar, their pain I recognise
Fighting back tears, with horrors in my head
Eventually the sounds disperse to nothing - left petrified
Under cover of night, laying low, so silent
In scattered remains of what stood before
Imprisoned in a haze, a place ready to meet its end
Is there more danger round the bend?
Wait - what do I see?
A flickering glow lies beyond the mist
Before me I’m shown what could be my guide
Conflicted I wonder if fate chose for me
To stay here or journey far and wide
"Charge into the unknown to salvation
Whatever you do, don’t look back"
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4. |
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Clouds begin fading away
Unveiling a moonlit sky
In the solitude of the mountain pass
Beyond the wall of mist
No longer fearing for my life
My path’s becoming clearer
All of a sudden, I see strewn across the way
A silvern robe tattered and crimson-stained
Was so sure before of which path to take
Now starting to question everything
My thoughts turn back to The Triptych
Visions of serenity and chaos collide with The Myrehsia Tree
The root of all, sustaining a balance with its Song
That, once heard by The Wayfarer, became an aria of enlightenment
Powers have been bestowed on me, granted courage; fortitude
Just by visualising The Triptych I desire to know so much more
Astounded to believe I’ve journeyed so far for miles upon miles
Over the mountain range scrambling higher and higher
On a ridge like a knife’s edge, battling through strong winds
Finally reach the summit
Standing cold and depleted
Nevertheless, don’t feel any pain
As I look out to an open blue sea
Hope of a new world on far off horizons
From the precipice I see steps descend the mountain face
To a harbour at the water’s edge
Many shipwrecked remains scatter these shores
An instinct kicks in telling me there is something to find
Behind some rocks I uncover an unscathed boat
Launching it towards pulsing waves - sailing away
Out on lonely seas, heading nowhere
The full moon my only guide, where am I supposed to go now?
A familiar glow draws nearer, one now torn into five
Shining like diamonds capturing stars
I swear at this moment the ocean’s painted gold
Rays of light fall from the heavens to reveal an island
Heaven and earth moved as one, were they expecting me?
Is there knowledge greater than legend tells?
Drifting over calming waves as day breaks
Sparks fly toward a formidable cave
Cascading inside, I see a beautiful waterfall
These towering walls could come crashing down
Been trapped in darkness before
But something, somewhere tells me to go forth
Transported by a voice
Swept beneath the waterfall
What enchanting new world awaits?
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5. |
Utopia
09:36
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I sailed toward a new horizon and found a mysterious land
Surging from the waterfall, I saw the sun shine upon a glorious city
Now ashore, disembarking at the docks
In awe of such grandeur, as I walk through tremendous gates
Revealing a place of majesty
This city’s unlike the one I ventured away from
Such an immaculate design
Great domes and towers with spires
Covered in white and gold
Circling statues and monuments
Everyday life goes on, civilisation prospers
Everywhere I look in this realm full of colour
Immersed in their culture, among a crowd of thousands
Everyone seems proud to share this blessed ground they walk upon
In the bustle of the marketplace locals are peddling their wares
Selling to whoever comes by, providing families with all they need
Others, who are free of duty, sit by a fountain reminiscing
Telling stories of the past, teaching their young ones of wrong and right
For a while I stroll under a colonnade where floors are paved with mosaic art
Between each column I find stunning views of land and sea
Could I belong here?
Utopia, it’s like I’m in a dream
Forever now this shall be my home
I look into the distance, a spectacle entices me over
Up ahead there’s a crowd gathering around, chanting
“Let the revelry commence!”
Waves of sound crescendo, bursting down these streets
Celebrations have begun
A congregation unites for a thrilling parade
All dancing to their own rhythm
Troupes of roving musicians play on and on
Merrily drinking with companions
Rejoicing in the moment
Embracing being alive
Entranced by such music
Inspiring the passion within
My spirits high I join the dance
Something is manifesting
Been shunned by those around me
A semblance of hostility
Alone I fall into a stupor
Just a spectre at the show
A stranger from the other side
Only wanted to belong, why didn’t I?
Was I even there? Did no one even care to see?
Left to reflect on my own
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6. |
Conjure the Tempest
09:14
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Estranged from wonderland
Forced into isolation
So, it’s come to this
The world keeps on turning
While I run and escape it all
I find an archway of vines intertwined
Emerging through to a beautiful garden
A secret haven
Where the sunlight glistens
Upon a mirror on the wall
Guided down a cobbled path
Glancing ahead at my reflection
So worn and depleted
I will my spirit to be with me again
Beneath the mirror blooms a single flower of purest white
Drawn by its presence I reach out to touch
Only for it to shrivel and decay
Withered petals fade to black and the autumn leaves scatter
A season’s colours lost to the gathering wind
There’s a storm brewing
A force so strong that clouds collide
Casting a shadow over the city
No shelter to run for
Nobody to save me
No way to predict what will occur
I shriek in fear as the mirror shatters
Elements conspire: a swirling chaos of events
Lightning strikes, rainfall masks sounds of thunder
Growing ever mightier, nature gains all control
Helpless in a raging tempest
Each step I take the autumn leaves disintegrate to ashes
I turn to face a scene of ominous skies distorting before my eyes
The city’s melting
Drips of obsidian
Drowning out the light
Eclipsing utopia
Dragged into the depths of the abyss
Served to a legion of lifeless souls
Fixated on their harrowing eyes
Torches in the dark staring back at me
Suddenly screams of terror sear through my mind
Their calls are so familiar, their pain I recognise
A deafening cacophony
Suffering in purgatory
Overwhelming torment
Unbearable agony weighs me down
Intensifying my descent into madness
Falling endlessly into deepest black
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7. |
Serenity and Chaos
08:06
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My eyes open to a tranquil forest glistening emerald
Dazed by the sun till I’m shielded from its glare
By the curious aura of three beings possessing a knowing empathic air
All I have faced: extremes of wonder and trauma
Leaves me doubting my sanity
I implore they tell me all they know
Of this broken world, The Wayfarer and The Myrehsia Tree
All life exists in a fine symmetry
Forged and held by The Myrehsia Tree
The source of its power resonates from within its core as a song
In a valley enveloped by a wall of mist
The first of mankind came to exist
Yearning for more than their primitive lives
They looked to the mist they all feared for a sign
From strange revelations a prophecy they did recite:
“One shall emerge from the veil of grey
Light the world with wisdom’s flame”
The Eytrva: magical entities, eight
Guardians of The Myrehsia Tree
Sought to ensure man evolve in accord with divine harmony
And so the one man would call The Wayfarer
A higher being born into this world from The Tree
And thus uniquely attuned to its Song
Was led by The Eytrva to a boat at the water's edge
The Wayfarer stepped from the mist’s shadow
With wisdom drawn from The Song to bestow
Upon man who gained insight, knowledge, and skills
And a magnificent city they built
Man deified their saviour with a temple raised high
And a triptych that, in its sanctum, was enshrined
But in their greed man would ever beseech
The Wayfarer take more from The Song of The Tree
Natural order began to fray
As one so pure of heart, to vanity, caved
Resplendent in silvern robes and stood before The Tree
For none but their own desire to uncover the ultimate mystery
The Wayfarer into The Song plundered deep, far too deep
Equilibrium forever broken, The Song convulsed into a shriek
The Eytrva frantically rushed The Wayfarer
But as they struggled in futility
Five to glimmers of insentient light were diminished
And eight became three
Chaos reigned as all existence reeled towards demise
Man, betrayed, turned against the one they’d idolised
The Wayfarer was dragged, bloodied, over mountains high
And under the mist’s shroud condemned to die
As the doomed city of man crumbled down
To the desecrated temple their saviour was chained
And, when its hallowed walls were torn to the ground
Buried beneath the monument raised in Her name
“Light the world with wisdom’s flame”
A chronicle of events retold hypnotises for one more moment
Till I’m captivated by five glimmering lights slowly closing in
Sensing a reunion of eight kindred spirits, I proclaim:
“Guardians severed to five and three, The Eytrva you must be!”
Truer words I ever did utter
As concern clouds the three
Their sudden pleas fade
As fragments of sound bind in unison
Creating a melody
Guiding me through the forest
To The Myrehsia Tree
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8. |
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An ageless colossus from which all life became
Its celestial chorus ensuring a natural order eternally prevailed
This legend inspired me beyond the mist, mountain and sea
Here finally at journey’s end I reach The Myrehsia Tree
Gazing at its crown soaring high in the firmament
I am filled with reverence and ecstasy
Then, by an opening scored into its trunk
I enter a passage leading me to The Tree’s core
Through The Tree's vast centre its heavenly Song radiates
As a stream of light more mesmerising than The Triptych portrayed
And to my astonishment before this iridescent glare
Just as depicted a solitary figure stands - The Wayfarer
Perhaps The Wayfarer survived their fall from grace?
A chance to atone for their past mistakes
and regain what once was lost
Hope for answers spurs me forward but, something occurs
Now reaching their silhouette our shadows start aligning
Our bodies form as one
The Wayfarer truly perished beneath the temple
Only I remain
I long to know my origins, for my soul to be restored
Now my path’s become clear as The Song reveals a forgotten truth
Visions of another life, in another world
Seeking to procure absolute knowledge
The Sehtyri, advanced sapient beings
Learned how to manipulate The Myrehsia Tree’s Song
Ages passed, The Sehtyri empire rose
Yet, in their ruthless pursuit of supremacy
The Tree’s delicate balance was destroyed
And a ravaged world, by the void, was consumed
Within The Tree, at World's end, a Sehtyri girl took solace from The Song
And when, from The Myrehsia Tree, a new world formed
She too was reborn
A girl saved from another world, touched by powers divine
Foretold to be the saviour to the flawed race of mankind
Blinded by her selfish need to sacred wisdom hold
Doomed the new world to the fate her kind had doomed the old
Memories of a buried past, to me return
How one’s abuse of wisdom’s flame caused the world to burn
And only now, at journey’s end, her sins I understand
For The Wayfarer I am
What have I done?
I awoke in my tomb, beckoned by a voice
Led along a route I’d taken many times before
Edging closer to The Tree, illusions were conjured within
As I relived the rise and fall of my old world
The Eytrva realised my true identity
But deaf to their pleas and seeking the truth
I returned to The Tree
As from my destiny there can be no escape
My heart aches, I shake in fear, overwhelmed with guilt
I abandoned my sole purpose, inflicting such pain and misery
For in an act of betrayal I poisoned all of existence
Though I pray for absolution, in this world none shall I find
I hear the sound of the earth falling
Grieving for every lost soul
I now surrender to my fate
Let me be consumed by darkness
Oceans quake, empyrean sundered
Creation devoured by the void
Behold oblivion!
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9. |
Swansong
04:15
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(instrumental)
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Across The Sea Worthing, UK
Genre-defying Progressive Duo
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For those that remember the Look and Read series in the early eighties (which had such programmes as 'Dark Towers'), in my opinion this music evokes those feelings of mystery and wonder. Very, very impressed.
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To Touch the Sky
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Patterned after the Doomsday Clock, each of the art pop songs on this comp come to a hard stop after 100 seconds.
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