The Choir of the Bound

[Intro — whispered voices distant in background] [Soft whispers layered left and right] “Remain…” “Release me…” “We remember…” “Hold… the seal…” [Slow war drums begin] [Verse 1 — female vocal low, calm, solemn] Cold halls beneath the mountain Runes beneath my skin Every soul I carry Still remembers where they’ve been Hear them through the stillness Echoing like chains Some still speak forgiveness Some still curse my name [Pre-Chorus — deeper emotional restraint] I was not chosen… I remained… The abyss opened And I became the chain [Chorus — larger atmosphere, not louder] I carry the choir of the bound A thousand voices under my skin Some beg for mercy Some pull me down Still I hold the darkness in Below these ruins It waits without end And if I falter… The world will bend [Instrumental Break — distant whispers + low choir] [Whispers layered softly] “Don’t let it wake…” “Stay with us…” “Release…” [Verse 2 — slightly stronger delivery] Dragon fire in my bloodstream Wolf eyes in the night Angel wings still burning Somewhere underneath this fight Every blade I shattered Every beast I felled Lives inside the runes now Bound within the spell [Pre-Chorus — emotional exhaustion] I hear them always… I never sleep… The thing below me Does not dream… It eats [Chorus — fuller choir layered behind vocal] I carry the choir of the bound A thousand hearts beneath my bones Some curse forever Some still mourn Some still call this prison home Below these ruins It claws the veil And if I break… Then all things fail [Bridge — stripped down, almost spoken] [Music drops to low drone + whispers] I asked the dead… “What remains?” And every voice answered differently Some asked for peace Some begged for vengeance Some only wanted To be remembered [Long pause] So I remember them all [Final Chorus — emotional but controlled] I carry the choir of the bound Their light and sorrow forged in me I am the silence I am the chain I am what stands beneath the deep And far below Where no light reaches Something ancient Still hears me breathe [Outro — fading whispers] “Warden…” “Stay…” “Do not let it wake…”