Now and Forevermore

(Intro) (Slow, echoing piano melody. The sound of a distant wind howling, then fading into a steady, heartbeat-like drum rhythm.) (Verse 1) I see you standing in the hallway light But your eyes are wandering into the night A map of a life that you used to know Is dissolving like footprints in fresh-fallen snow. The names of the flowers, the taste of the rain Are slipping like water through a porcelain drain. The "Nothing" is hungry, it’s cold and it’s vast Swallowing the future, erasing the past. (Verse 2) And I’m on the shoreline, reaching for air With a weight on my chest that I can’t even bear. The fire that drove me has burned down to ash I’m a ghost in the static, a long-distance crash. My spirit is fraying, the candle is gone I’ve been running for miles just to stay in the dawn. But the shadows are stretching, they’re claiming the floor And I can’t find the key to the strength anymore. (Chorus) But I will hold the light when your embers grow dim I’ll be the shore when you’re learning to swim Through the Great Oblivion, through the silent roar I’ll love you for now and forevermore. Though the "Nothing" may take every word that we said I’ll carry the crown that fell from your head. In the hollow, in the dark, in the core You are mine... now and forevermore. (Verse 3) (Drums kick in, heavier bass. The tone shifts from fragile to defiant.) The rooms are all empty, the faces are blurred A symphony playing without any word. Is it a sickness? Or just the long road? The soul breaking down under the heaviest load. You’re drifting away on a colorless tide While I’m paralyzed here with nowhere to hide. But if you forget me, then I’ll remember for two That’s the one thing the "Nothing" can’t force me to do. (Bridge) (Full Metal orchestration. High energy, soaring vocals.) I’ve shouted at the breaking sky, Demanded answers, asked it “Why?” I’ve fought the tide with empty hands, Tried to redraw what time unmanned. I’ve burned my strength to keep you near, Held back the dark with stubborn fear— But storms grow tired of their own sound. And even wars lay weapons down. If all the maps have torn apart, I’ll trace the road inside my heart. No sword to raise, no gates to guard— Just open hands in the falling dark. If you forget the shape of me, I’ll stay — Until you breathe. (Guitar Solo) (A melodic, mournful, yet screaming solo that builds into a crescendo before suddenly dropping back to a single acoustic guitar.) (Chorus) But I will hold the light when your embers grow dim I’ll be the shore when you’re learning to swim Through the Great Oblivion, through the silent roar I’ll love you for now and forevermore. Though the "Nothing" may take every word that we said I’ll carry the crown that fell from your head. In the hollow, in the dark, in the core You are mine... now and forevermore. (Outro) (Softly, almost a whisper) The stars are all fading... The screen’s turning black. I’m letting you go... But I’m not turning back. Just close your eyes... Don’t fight it no more. I’ve got the memory... Now and forevermore. (Final piano note lingers and fades into white noise... then silence.)