[Intro - Minutes of silence. Distant wind. A single, low bell toll.]
[Whispered, ancient]
Before the Guild... before the Wyverians... before fire was fire...
There was only the darkness...
And in the darkness... it waited.
[Verse 1 - Slow, monolithic guitars. Drums like distant thunder.]
Schrade was a kingdom, proud and bright
Torches flickered in the night
They knew the legends, spoke my name
In hushed tones, to shift the blame
For crops that failed, for wars they lost
They never counted up the cost
Of waking something sleeping deep
Of promises they couldn't keep
[Chorus - Crushing weight. Vocals a desperate roar.]
FATALIS! THE BLACK DRAGON RISES!
FATALIS! THROUGH THE ASHES AND THE CRIES!
FATALIS! YOUR ANCESTORS KNEW MY NAME!
FATALIS! NOW YOU'LL JOIN THEM JUST THE SAME!
[Verse 2 - Still slow, but with a creeping dread]
I watched their knights in shining steel
Charge toward me, full of zeal
Their banners burned before they fell
Their final screams? I cannot tell
The castle melted, stone to wax
I sat upon the rubble's cracks
And when the last light finally died
I felt the first tear that you cried
[Bridge - Tempo drops even further. Funeral pace.]
They say I wear the skins of those
Who thought they could defeat me
Their faces pressed into my scales
So I can always see them
They say I hate all living things
That I'm pure evil, darkness, spite
But truth is far more simple:
I was here before your light
[Guitar Solo - Slow, melodic, utterly mournful. Tony Iommi worship.]
[Pre-Chorus - Building dread]
You've crafted armor from my kin
You wear my children's scales as skin
You think that makes you strong like me?
You'll never understand...
[Chorus - Even heavier, somehow]
FATALIS! THE BLACK DRAGON RISES!
FATALIS! THROUGH THE ASHES AND THE CRIES!
FATALIS! YOUR ANCESTORS KNEW MY NAME!
FATALIS! NOW YOU'LL JOIN THEM JUST THE SAME!
[Breakdown - Absolute zero. One note. Endless feedback.]
[Spoken, almost tired]
You shot me with your cannons.
You bound me with your chains.
You dropped a castle on my head.
[Long pause]
...it tickled.
[Final Verse - Clean guitar, haunted vocals]
So come, young hunter, take your stand
Your Dragonator in your hand
Your Palico mewing at your side
Your mantles up, your foolish pride
I've seen a thousand thousand yous
With fancy builds and fancy crews
And when your final cart returns
My black flame still eternally burns
[Outro - The slowest riff ever written. Fading to nothing.]
I am the end...
I am the night...
I am the reason...
...you fear the light.
[Silence. 30 seconds of silence.]
[Barely audible whisper]
...Schrade never stood a chance.
[Final sound - A single, dying ember. Extinguishing.]
AsheTheHyena
