Nine Circles

Black wood. Lost breathName erased. No steps back

Iron gate — cold truthLeave hope

I walk the path of broken lightDust of angels, teeth of nightAsh on skin, a bitter tasteEvery prayer a hollow wasteFootsteps echo, slow and deepWhere the guilty never sleep

Letters carved like blades in stoneI feel the dark — I'm not aloneThe air is thin, the fire is nearI swallow fear — I steer

Down — down — nine circlesFire — ice — no mercyI fall, I rise, I crawl through sinsBut I won't break — not from withinDown — down — no daylightCold truth — sharp silenceI carry hell beneath my ribsTo find the name my soul forgets

River black, the ferryman staresCounts the weight of whispered prayersLust turns wind into razor rainGreed builds crowns of rust and shameWrath is thunder, pride is steelAnd envy bites the wounds I feel

A shadow-guide with smoke for eyesSays: Look ahead — don't compromiseBut somewhere far, a softer flameStill calls my heart by name

Down — down — nine circlesFire — ice — no mercyI fall, I rise, I crawl through sinsBut I won't break — not from withinDown — down — no daylightCold truth — sharp silenceI carry hell beneath my ribsTo find the name my soul forgets

Beatrice — a ghost of dawnSing to me when hope is goneIf love is real, cut through this smokePull me out — or let me choke'Cause even here, where devils grinI feel the war beneath my skin

Nine ringsNine sinsNine vowsI won't give in

Teeth of iceTongue of flameSay my nameSay my name

Down — down — nine circlesFire — ice — no mercyI fall, I rise, I crawl through sinsBut I won't break — not from withinDown — down — no daylightCold truth — sharp silenceI carry hell beneath my ribsTo find the way — to live — to live

I went belowAnd I came back