When the Core Begins to Listen

Verse 1 [Male 1] We reach the heart where the great drill turns slow The air here pulses with a power we don’t know Sabotage plans whispered in the flickering light But every shadow seems to lean in tight [Switch to Female 1] The tinker-lord’s hands move with careful grace Yet the core’s low hum fills the hollow space Chorus [Male 1 with layered harmonies] When the core begins to listen, the watch has found its mark Every vibration answers from the dark The bass of the machine echoes back our song We came to break it, but it’s been listening all along Verse 2 [Male 1] The first charge placed, the rhythm starts to shift Gears grind wrong, the air begins to lift My fingers find the strings to steady what we do But the notes come back twisted, and the core answers too [Switch to Female 1] The golem’s eyes flicker with an unnatural glow The pirate’s maps flutter as the engines start to know Chorus [Male 1 with fuller harmonies] When the core begins to listen, the watch has found its mark Every vibration answers from the dark No sabotage stays silent, no plan remains unseen The curse has woken something deep and mean Bridge [Male 1] I feel it now, the gaze without a face The Engine has been waiting in this hidden place The guilt from before sharpens into fear We thought we were the hunters, but the hunter’s here [Switch to Female 1] The realization hits like a hammer to the chest We walked into the core, and it knew us best Chorus [Male 1 with all voices swelling] When the core begins to listen, the watch has found its mark Every vibration answers from the dark We came to silence it, but it’s singing back our name The core has been listening, and it knows the game