[Intro – low atmospheric pads and faint distant whispers, very intimate and heavy] Verse 1 [Ominous undead male voice, deep and resonant but carrying quiet pain over dark pads] I walk the streets I once defended with my blood And watch the people I would die for step back from where I stood Eyes that used to shine with hope now flicker with the fear That the thing wearing their king’s face might be something else entirely here They lower their voices when I pass, they clutch their children close As if the cold that lives inside me might reach out and take what matters most I see the old priest make the sign against the evil eye And for the first time since I rose, I feel the weight of being what I am tonight Chorus [Ominous undead male voice, raw and heavy over building dark atmosphere] Some call me monster, some still call me king I carry both the names they give and all the weight they bring I did not cross the veil to be the thing they fear But I will wear the name if that’s the price of keeping them here Verse 2 [Ominous undead male voice, deeper and more isolated] The dead still speak my name like it’s a vow they chose to keep They do not flinch when I approach, they do not turn or weep But the living… the living look at me like I’m already gone Like the man they followed died the night I took the blade and carried on I feel the loneliness of command in ways I never knew When even those you bled to save now wonder if you’re something new I do not blame them for their fear — I know what I became But it still cuts deeper than the knife when they whisper monster at my name Chorus [Ominous undead male voice, raw and heavy over building dark atmosphere] Some call me monster, some still call me king I carry both the names they give and all the weight they bring I did not cross the veil to be the thing they fear But I will wear the name if that’s the price of keeping them here Bridge [Ominous undead male voice, more vulnerable and introspective with faint layered whispers] I rose because I made a promise on the stone I did not rise so they would love the thing I’ve now become If being what they need means being what they hate Then let them call me monster — I will still protect this gate Final Chorus [Ominous undead male voice, powerful and resolute with full atmospheric swell] Some call me monster, some still call me king I carry both the names they give and all the weight they bring I did not cross the veil to be the thing they fear But I will wear the name if that’s the price of keeping them here Let them call me monster… I will still be standing when the morning comes [Outro – fading atmospheric pads with a single distant whisper of his name]
