[Intro - dark acoustic guitar, distant wind, shamanic frame drum, whispered male vocals] Deep in the forest lived a healer alone, He treated the wounded, made miracles known. He was kind... but pride lived inside, And he learned he could conquer the boundary of life. [Verse 1 - slow heavy guitars] One night his companion was found in the wood, His body was torn where the darkness had stood. The healer knelt down, his hands on his chest: “I WON'T LET YOU GO! I WON'T LET YOU REST!” He called to the darkness, he screamed at the sky, And suddenly... THE DEAD MAN OPENED HIS EYES! [Pre-Chorus - drums building, ritual chanting] But ice ran through the healer's hands, And something woke beneath the land... The dead man whispered: “Why did you call me? Why did you bring me back? What God has taken... YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO GIVE BACK!” [Chorus - huge guitars, shamanic drums, choir] I WAS NOT MEANT TO RISE! YOU HAD NO RIGHT TO CALL MY NAME! What God has taken from this world, You cannot give again! I AM NOT ALIVE! I AM NOT DEAD! You opened up the door... And now we walk... THROUGH THE FOREST OF THE DEAD! [Verse 2 - darker, heavier guitars] His face was no longer the face that he knew, His eyes burned like fire, his skin turned blue. He reached for the healer with terrible force, And something cold entered the healer's soul. The ground started shaking, the black sky replied, The trees bent and screamed as the dead came alive. [Break - ritual drums, throat singing, distorted whispers] “You thought you had conquered death... You thought you had become God... You only opened... THE FORBIDDEN DOOR!” [Chorus - heavier] I WAS NOT MEANT TO RISE! YOU HAD NO RIGHT TO CALL MY NAME! What God has taken from this world, You cannot give again! I AM NOT ALIVE! I AM NOT DEAD! You opened up the door... And now we walk... THROUGH THE FOREST OF THE DEAD! [Verse 3 - atmospheric, haunting] The healer fell down upon his knees, But death was no longer a thing he feared. Dark symbols burned beneath his skin, And voices from the grave came crawling in. He saw the souls beneath the earth, He heard their screams, he felt their thirst. Thousands of shadows whispered: “BRING US BACK...” “BRING US BACK...” “BRING US HOME...” [Instrumental - guitar solo, ritual drums, ancient flute] And then the healer finally understood... The dead were never his true enemy. The enemy... WAS DEATH ITSELF. [Bridge - quiet acoustic guitar, whispered vocals] He remembered the words of an ancient man: “Never cross the final line. Never challenge the hand of time. Death has a debt that must be paid... And death... NEVER BARGAINS WITH THE LIVING.” [Build-up - heartbeat, accelerating drums] Then from the forest came a scream: TOO LATE! The trees bent low, the dead arose, The resurrected friend began to smile. “You opened the door... Now you are one of us.” [Final Chorus - epic metal climax] I AM NOT GOD! I AM NOT THE DEVIL! I am the keeper of the line! If I broke the gates of death... Then I will pay... THE PRICE! [Breakdown - tribal drums, distorted guitar] The healer raised his hand... And whispered: “I opened this door... I WILL CLOSE IT MYSELF.” [Silence] [Single drum hit] MYSELF! [Outro - lonely flute, forest wind] The morning came across the trees, But no one found him in the leaves. Only a black staff lay in the dust, With words carved deep into the wood: “NOT EVERYONE WHO CAN BRING BACK LIFE HAS THE RIGHT TO DO SO.” [Final whisper] And somewhere... deep inside the forest... **SOMETHING KNOCKED AGAIN... FROM UNDERGROUND.**
