17
Apr 2021
A Reaper of Flame and Ruin
2008 version
Enshrouded within beautiful darkness,
An assassin by right
Claimed order within chaos,
A creature of the night
Stole the wings of Hermes,
To take my final flight
But your stars threw down their spears,
And I could not abandon your plight.
Was that the ultimate crime,
For which you made me such?
I was only a man
A man who knew too much.
Amidst the musings of Fate,
Had you proved you had a heart
Extended your hand,
I would have played my part
But you shattered me into a million pieces,
Which they carried off in a cheap cart
Like I had come to this world,
Alone, I now must depart.
I rebuilt myself in stone, heartless,
And shall always remember who made me such
For I am only a man
A man who once cared too much.
2025 book version
Enshrouded in the velvet shroud of night,
An assassin by birthright and design,
I carved order from the heart of chaos,
A shadow where no light could shine.
I stole the wings of the swift divine,
To claim my last and truest flight —
Yet your heavens cast down their spears,
And I could not forsake your fight.
Was that the mortal sin you named,
That earned your wrath’s relentless touch?
For I was only a man —
A man who dared to know too much.
Amid the endless riddles of Fate,
Had you shown a heart, unmasked and bare,
And reached your hand toward mine,
I would have borne your cross to bear.
But you scattered me in a thousand shards,
Gathered like refuse, carted without care —
As though I entered this world alone,
So too must I leave it there.
I rebuilt myself in stone and flame,
No pulse to feel, no warmth to clutch —
For I am only a man —
A man who once dared to care too much.