I heard the call from deep below— A voice I knew, too soft to show. Not thunder, not command or cry— Just the kind of silence that won't let you lie. I stepped into the dark with fire in hand, Hoping courage would understand. Not for power, not for praise— But to pull light from that endless haze. The deeper I walked, the more I knew: What you lead, it also leads you. The path you take for someone's sake— Leaves pieces of you it never gives back. There's no going back once you descend. No exit when you're what others defend. You bear their hopes, you breathe their doubt— And silence is all that follows the shout. I went in with a song. I left with a scar. You don't escape gods—you become who they are. Each torch I lit just fed the flame, Made shadows stretch and call my name. They asked for truth. I gave them time. But all they saw was the bottom line. In every echo, my voice transformed, From shepherd to shadow, weathered and warned. Each word I spoke carved deeper paths, Through chambers where my former self collapsed. There's no going back once you descend. No exit when you're what others defend. You bear their hopes, you breathe their doubt— And silence is all that follows the shout. I went in with a song. I left with a scar. You don't escape gods—you become who they are. Leadership is not the mountain top...... It's the descent you survive when no one watches. It's saying, "I'll go,".... when everyone else stays. It's losing sleep, losing friends, Losing the right to turn around..... There's no going back once you descend. No crown shines in the ash you defend. You call it duty. They call it fate. But both mean you show up too late. I walked in with hope. I leave with fire. The song is gone—but not the choir. I looked back. Not for me— But for the sound of the world I once believed could be free. That call from deep below still echoes— Not a summoning, but my own voice, Transformed by darkness into light.
