Complexities of a Darkened Mind

"...a river of silence..." "...this is not death..." "...this is memory..." "...she stood in the doorway..." "...and I... turned away..." Beneath bloodred skies we marched Teeth bared, eyes black with purpose Cities fell to fire and blade I carved silence where joy once dwelled No flag flew higher than my wrath No prayer endured my passing The soil remembers screams I forget And still, I called it glory Her voice was wind against the stone A whisper drowned by victory’s howl Her hands - once warm - now ash and bone I ruled the world... and lost my soul The river does not judge It carries the weight of men I see myself - younger, kinder But he does not see me She waited, years in silence My letters - soaked in blood, in pride I told her the lands I’d conquered But not the faces I erased My name is a curse now A ruin echoing through time I was more than a monster once ...wasn't I? Reality unravels - thread by thread My victories were illusions... my mind their tomb Each memory, a dagger turned inward I bleed - and still, I see her face Tell me, Styx - do you drown regret? Will your waters strip me clean? Or am I bound to drift forever In the complexities... ...of a darkened mind?