Ten Steps In

[Verse 1]
We marched from the sunrise with banners held high
To rescue our brothers who bled in the west
The captains rode proud with their sabers held bright
And swore we would put the dark Gnar to rest
The desert wind carried the rhythm of boots
And someone began a chant with a grin
A soldier’s old cadence to keep the line steady
We roared it together — “Just ten steps in!”

[Chorus (Marching Chant)]
Ten steps in and victory’s near
Ten steps in and the road is clear
Ten steps in and the west we’ll win
Ten steps more and the fight begins

[Verse 2]
We sighted their lines through the shimmer of heat
A crooked black army spread thin in the sand
Our generals laughed at the ragged dark ranks
And ordered the charge with a lift of the hand
Steel rang like thunder as shields locked ahead
Our front drove forward with fury and din
But the sand split open beneath marching feet…
And something below us was dragging us in

[Bridge (The Echo)]
We halted a moment while captains aligned
The desert wind whispered low through the din
And somewhere beyond the black line in the sand
A thousand dry voices were chanting again
Not loud like a war cry, not bold like a hymn
But thin as the wind through a hollowed-out skin
They whispered the cadence we'd sung on the march…
Ten steps in…
Ten steps in…

[Chorus (First Dark Shift)]
Ten steps in and the sky grew dim
Ten steps in and the sunlight thinned
Ten steps in and the wings rolled in
Ten steps in… where the dark begins

[Verse 3]
The bats filled the heavens like night falling fast
Their shrieking drowned horn and command
Great shapes were circling high in the storm
While clawed things were rising from under the sand
A shadow flew over — vast wings in the gloom
We never saw more than its terrible span
Then the breath of the dragon came crawling like rain
And the worms of the Gnar started falling on man

[Chorus (Dark)]
Ten steps in and the lines were torn
Ten steps in and the brave were worn
Ten steps in and the sky turned black
Ten steps in… there was no way back

[Final Verse]
Our screaming turned strange as the worms found their way
Through armor and bone in the choking sand
The fallen were rising with hollow dark eyes
And reaching again for the sword in their hand
The banners lay buried where morning had shone
The desert drank deep of the hope we had been
Ten steps into battle our army was broken…
Ten steps in our living was done.

[Final Chorus (Twisted Chant)]
Ten steps in the daylight grew thin
Ten steps in the sky folded in
Ten steps in the drums fell still
Ten steps in we bent to their will
Ten steps in our lives reached their end
Ten steps in we rose once again
Ten steps in the war we walked in…
Ten steps in — we rose as the Gnar.

Dark epic fantasy ballad, marching chant chorus, doomed army POV, haunting male vocal, gritty outlaw style