War Has A New Name

[Intro: distant wind, fading motif from “The Last God Awake,” solitary clean guitar] I thought the heavens were finished. Ten thrones. Nine silent. One stubborn fool Still waiting for an answer. [Pause] Then somewhere beyond the eastern ruins... Something answered back. [Verse 1: low clean Fenrir vocal] I found her where the old wars ended Standing underneath a broken sky No temple waiting there to name her No priest prepared to ask her why White coat moving through the ashes Gold catching what remained of dawn She looked almost mortal from a distance Until every weapon turned toward her On its own No ancient crown above her No scripture at her feet Just something in the air around her That made even my heartbeat Sound like marching drums [Pre-Chorus: drums slowly building] I have known gods born from stars Gods dragged screaming from the sea But I had never watched divinity Choose what it wanted to be [Chorus: huge melodic metalcore] WAR HAS A NEW NAME And she doesn't need a throne No ancient blood No dying empire No kingdom of her own The old gods carved their legends Into monuments and graves But something new stood in the ashes AND THE WHOLE WORLD KNEW HER NAME Tessa The newest god of war [Verse 2: heavier but controlled] I asked her who had crowned her She looked at me confused Said nobody had given anything She simply woke And knew Every battlefield called differently Every weapon had a voice Every conflict bent around her But she still had a choice That part mattered Kaelor would've laughed He thought war meant conquest She looked across the ruined field And told me: “War is deciding What is worth fighting for.” [Pre-Chorus 2] That was when I understood She wasn't wearing Kaelor's crown War had not resurrected It had chosen Someone else [Chorus] WAR HAS A NEW NAME And she doesn't need a throne No ancient blood No dying empire No kingdom of her own The old gods carved their legends Into monuments and graves But something new stood in the ashes AND THE WHOLE WORLD KNEW HER NAME Tessa The newest god of war [Interlude: clean guitar, distant wordless choir] [Low Fenrir vocal] I told her about the pantheon. About Solvar. Vaelune. Morvane. Aestra. Kaelor. Serathiel. Nythra. Orun. Velkara. About the empty seats. About the one we erased. [Pause] She listened. Then asked the one question None of us ever did. “Why do I need their throne?” [Music surges] [Verse 3: Fenrir, stronger clean vocal] I laughed for the first time In longer than I'd care to count Because gods like us spent eternity Thinking power needed somewhere to sit A hall A crown A name carved into stone She had none of it And somehow She looked more divine Than all of us [Build] Maybe this isn't resurrection Maybe nothing old is coming home Maybe heaven isn't dying Maybe it's shedding What it used to know [Breakdown: heavy, triumphant rather than hateful] [Harsh Fenrir vocal] NO THRONE NO CROWN NO DEAD EMPIRE HOLDING HER DOWN NEW BLOOD NEW AGE WAR TURNED OVER A BRAND-NEW PAGE KAELOR'S SILENT THE OLD FLAGS BURN BUT WAR DIDN'T DIE IT LEARNED TESSA THE GODDESS THE OLD GODS NEVER SAW COMING [Bridge: instrumentation drops, intimate Fenrir vocal] I asked if she was afraid. She said yes. Good. That made me trust her. The gods who frightened me most Were always the ones Who stopped being afraid Of themselves. [Pause] I told her: “Being a god doesn't make you right.” She looked at me Like the answer was obvious. “I know.” [Low Fenrir chuckle] Yeah. She'll do fine. [Final Chorus: enormous, luminous, darkness opening into hope] WAR HAS A NEW NAME And maybe heaven isn't gone Maybe every dying sunset Leaves another coming dawn The old gods became stories The old kingdoms became graves But underneath the silent heavens SOMETHING NEW HAS WOKEN AWAKE Tessa The newest god of war And for the first time Since the voices disappeared I wasn't the only god Standing here [Final Refrain: Fenrir alone, layered vocals] THE LAST GOD AWAKE Wasn't the last Just the first one To notice [Outro: soft clean guitar, sunrise ambience] [Low Fenrir vocal] I showed her the hall. Nine silent thrones. Mine. The scar where the eleventh once stood. She looked around for a while. Then sat on the floor. Said she didn't like thrones. [Pause] [Fenrir, quietly amused] Good. Neither do I.