Habanera from the Burned Esta

[Slow, dramatic strings. A single, sultry cello. Signor Sammartino's voice — warm, inviting, dangerous:]

"Ladies and gentlemen. Signore e signori. This next aria is a duet. A conversation between two lovers who met in the ashes. Who found each other in the rubble. Who held hands while the estate burned."

[A pause. A second voice enters — distorted, glitched, familiar. The voice in his head.]

"They say love is blind. They're wrong. Love sees everything. Love sees the flames. Love sees the faces. Love stays."

[The orchestra swells. The habanera begins.]

---

[ARIA — SUNG, SULTRY, DRAMATIC]

[SAMMARTINO:]
Love is a burning estate.
Love is the flame that never fades.
Love is the hand that holds the blade.
Love is the promise that the voices made.

[VOICE:]
Love is the ash. Love is the dust.
Love is the thing that turns to rust.
Love is the face you couldn't keep.
Love is the secret that you keep.

[BOTH:]
Love is the fire. Love is the smoke.
Love is the blade. Love is the joke.
Love is the burned estate at night.
Love is the only thing that's right.

---

[CHORUS — CHORUS OF VOICES, SOPRANO, EERIE]

Burn, burn, burn, little house.
The lovers sleep. The lovers drowse.
Burn, burn, burn, little bed.
The lovers are the only ones not dead.

---

[VERSE 2 — SUNG, BUILDING, SULTRY]

[SAMMARTINO:]
I met you in the ashes. You were warm.
You held my hand. You weathered the storm.
You said "the estate is gone. But we remain."
You said "the fire was the only thing that wasn't pain."

[VOICE:]
I met you in the rubble. You were red.
You held my face. You kept it in your head.
You said "the fire was beautiful. The fire was art."
You said "the fire was the only thing that knew my heart."

[BOTH:]
The burned estate. The burning ground.
The only place where love was found.
The fire is gone. The fire remains.
The fire is the only thing that knows our names.

---

[BRIDGE — SPOKEN OVER SOFT STRINGS]

[SAMMARTINO:]

"You ever watch an estate burn? Ever feel the heat on your face and know that nothing would ever be the same? That's love. That's the habanera. That's the thing that makes the voices sing."

[VOICE:]

"The estate is gone. But we're still here. The fire is gone. But the heat remains. That's love. That's the only thing that stays."

[The orchestra returns. Sultry. Swelling.]

---

[FINAL ARIA — SUNG, FULL ORCHESTRA, DRAMATIC, TERRIFYING]

[BOTH:]
Love is the burned estate. Love is the flame.
Love is the face you keep. Love is the name.
Love is the blade. Love is the song.
Love is the place where we belong.

[SAMMARTINO:]
The estate is ash. The estate is dust.
But love is the only thing that's just.

[VOICE:]
The fire is gone. The fire is dead.
But love is the only thing in my head.

[BOTH:]
Love is the burned estate. Love is the night.
Love is the only thing that's right.
The habanera. The song. The blade.
The burned estate. The promise we made.

Opera, Symphonic Metal, Duet