“The Cost of Tomorrow” — President Shinra

[Verse I — Vision] [(measured piano, confident)] Once I believed in light for cities Power drawn from planet’s breath A future freed from scarcity A world delivered from slow death Progress asked for brave decisions Men unwilling to retreat History does not honor caution Only those who dare compete And then they showed me possibility — A soldier shaped beyond the norm A living symbol of advancement Human evolution given form [Pre-Chorus] [(low choir hums)] Not a child… not quite a weapon… Something greater in between Proof that Shinra’s guiding vision Could become what none had seen [Chorus — Corporate Pride] [(brass swells)] Sephiroth… the face of progress Victory the world could see Every march and every triumph Strengthening my legacy You carried hope on silver shoulders Though you never understood Empires are not built on comfort — Only sacrifice for greater good [Verse II — Distance] [(strings darker)] Reports arrived with flawless numbers Efficiency beyond compare I signed approvals without meeting you Leaders cannot linger there A president must think in systems Not in lives too small to scale Emotion clouds the larger picture Vision cannot afford to fail Yet whispers followed your victories Questions buried under praise I wondered briefly — only briefly — What such perfection pays [Pre-Chorus II] [(music tightens)] Hojo promised inevitability Science promised control But brilliance forged too perfectly May refuse the intended role [Chorus — Rationalization] [(stronger, more ominous)] Sephiroth… necessary outcome Every age requires its spear Progress walks through fire first Before prosperity appears If suffering marked your creation It was never done in vain Civilizations rise eternal Built upon acceptable pain [Bridge — Doubt] [(music softens; insomnia tone)] Late at night the tower quiets And the city fades below I revisit signed decisions Names I never came to know Did I build salvation… Or merely something vast enough To outlive the man who started it? [(pause)] History will decide. [Bridge II — Fear of Legacy] [(low piano)] My son will inherit power And perhaps erase my name So I leave behind achievements Too immense to fade to blame You were meant to be that monument. Proof I changed the world. [Final Chorus — Cold Acceptance] [(full orchestra, imposing)] Sephiroth… symbol of tomorrow Whether hero, god, or fall Even rebellion serves the empire Legends still belong to all If the world remembers Shinra When my voice has turned to dust Then every choice I sanctioned Will have justified my trust [Outro] [(choir fades into industrial hum)] Progress does not ask forgiveness. It asks only… to continue.