It is not the end we feared. It is the one we deserved. I walked through ash that once was breath, Beneath the ribs of ruined spires. The saints had bled from shattered glass, Their haloes drowned in funeral choirs. The sky was parchment, torn by wrath, The bells rang backwards - cracked, profane. I saw the altar choke on flame, And bless the earth with plague again. [Bridge I - whispered, then shouted - drums and strings crash] Benedictio… Exspiravit. I heard the angels break their wings, The organ screamed in minor tones. Each hymn became a serpent’s vow, Each prayer - a throat of jagged bones. And in the crypt of human pride, We carved our names in smoke and oil. The crows took flight with gospel torn, And laughed above the scorched black soil. [Interlude – orchestral rampage, echoes of Dies Irae, Bach shattered into chaos] No god returned. No beast obeyed. The towers fell like rotten teeth. We sang, we danced, we choked on light… And sowed our tomb beneath our feet. Benedictio… Exspiravit.
