#strength.

Okay, now I'm done.

I did an extended intro and outro, so it's not exactly like the end credits version, but still it's the abridged from the credits, not the full song. But...wanted to get more of the piano in there for obvious reasons.

First version was my first practice run, and I was surprised that it wasn't terrible so throwing that up lol.

Second version is multi-track with harmonies that I cheated on once again. It's far from perfect but I gave up cuz sadly, I gotta work tomorrow and that means sleep. But too excited about it to not post it, so imperfect it is.

Oh yeah, and the backing track has the original vocals low underneath. Most obvious at the beginning, which is frustrating, but I couldn't get rid of them.

Learned more tricks in my lame software this time though, so future fun projects should be done faster and easier.

DEMON EATER

VICE CAPTAIN. NB. ( 29 ) Jung Hoyeon TW: war, death, ptsd

HISTORY

IS THIS WHAT IT IS LIKE, TO CARRY THE BURDENS OF DECIMATING GLORY? In broad daylight as the sun shone, you stood witness to the unraveling of war. Always watching, you observed the mannerisms of predator and prey where the one who survived was deemed the champion. In the reflection of a pool of blood, it began with a childhood friend, then a beloved grandparent; slowly the river styx took your closest family. You became hardened by the pain and grief, as a child, something desperate grew. Every day you wore your coat of knives, the blades sharp enough to pierce anything that wanted to crawl beneath your skin; friend and foe alike. There is a hollowness in your eyes when you swing your hilt, the bite of your metal striking always first. You understand what is required to live, so you fight without an ounce of hesitation. Others praise your resilience, your lack of hesitation and all the mechanisms that physically compete to be near flawless. But you feel nothing and that is the price of your invulnerability. 

What becomes of you in the comfort of your cynical indifference and your apathetic nature? The sweet inhalation of smoke and memories that trickle down your eyes without a single sound from your lips. At the seams of your metallic skin, you feel the beginning of your undoing. The clangs of metal ring louder and something demonic gnaws at your humanity, war does not determine victors, that you have learned, war only results in those who remain. And in the path that you have walked with your grimy feet, you stand alone in what began as despair. You win and you weep. But what is left to save in a graveyard of abandoned hopes and discarded memories? You do not know, and on your knees, you pray for everything to dissipate.

CONNECTIONS

BLOOD THIEF ⌱ THE SHARPEST WEAPON IS FORGED BY SILENCE

The scent of decay and death never escapes you and you are reminded of all that you have lost. You’ve grown numb to the way in which you must kill and no one else dares approach the killer of millions. When you meet her, she is unlike all others who have gone to war. Some do it for madness, others for duty, and the remainder are ravaged by grief. But BLOOD THIEF stood tall and looked you in the eye when she journeyed by your side. She held her head high, eyes hardened with stubborn resolve. She doesn’t beg for your mercy nor your help. Instead she gambles her life, by approaching you when no one else dared to. The past awakens from the slumbers of the cold, a silent obligation made in the dreams that visit you in the night - no matter what, you wanted to see her alive. She chooses to walk down a dangerous path that will send her to her last breath. You know how it all ends, and for once, you refuse to receive another nightmare of a lost soul. She has given you an invaluable reminder of a purpose, a survival, a hope.

MASTER OF DEATH  ⌱ IT IS THE WORLD THAT IS CRUEL

Loneliness is like a cloth that is stuck to your skin. You had accepted your fate to survive and succumb to the ravages of war on your own. He was one of the very few that managed to leave an impression, one that began to unlock the memories of your past. You found yourself pouring your soul out to him about the people in your past, the lives you had taken, the future that stared at you murky and hollow. You spoke of every consequence that befell you as a result, every consequence that you deserved. He spoke warmly and kindly, and broke through to the way you had always seen yourself and it reminded you of your humanity. You feared becoming a burden and slowly began to withdraw from him. His kindness and aide was a gift and you would not allow yourself to outstay your welcome. And perhaps that was what led you to perpetual death's doorstep. You knew if he saw you in that state he never would have left. So you lied through your teeth, making sure he would know that you were dead. He would be free of your troubles and you would carry on without the fear of losing him.

CURSED SOLDIER ⌱ WHAT IS EVIL BUT A PERSON WHO NEVER TASTED GOOD?

They smelled like rot and looked like scum. Your distaste was made the moment you faced them on the battlefield. You fought for your life while he fought for his and perhaps the Gods deemed you equally worthy to live another day. You have witnessed horrors and gruesome acts like none other and there was a loathing that churned from within you for bearing witness to it all with your head lowered. You tolerated it all as a means to preserve what little sanity still clung to the fragments of your mind. Unlike you who hid from reality, he wore every crime with impenetrable skin. While he continued to be the hideous beast he was, you saw a glimpse beneath the flesh. He is a monster that devours other brutes. He was as terrible as he was good; a dichotomy that you knew all too well and despised seeing in him. You refuse to share these similarities and he continues to provoke you in a way that lessens the invisible barrier that separates you from him. One day the scales will tip and you will accept a fate worse than the emptiness you live in and you will bare your fangs in hunger. 

GOD KILLER ⌱ TOILING THE SOIL TO DISTRACT MYSELF FROM THE SORROWS

The arrangement was a simple one to begin with - you needed a means to keep yourself alive and he provided you with a position to do so. You never yearned for power nor did you seek to overstep the lines and this sense of neutrality gained his trust. While you worked for him, you never questioned any of his plans and went along with it so long as you were paid. No payment ever came late. However, the more you began to earn, the more you were forced into shouldering heavier burdens. While you rarely exchanged vocal opinions with each other; a silent understanding began to grow between the cracks. More often than not, you were the peace to his chaos and inevitably, the one to clean up the messes that came from his decisions. You’ve grown accustomed to his mannerisms and even find yourself chuckling fondly when his temper flares. Neither of you would ever admit it but there’s a friendship that ties the two of you together. You’ve contemplated leaving to pursue a new adventure but there’s a sense of guilt that chews on the paper thin edges of your being. Everyone else was so easy to leave, but why not him? Perhaps it was pity or familiarity.

NPC: ALBATROSS. REMORA   —   29,  W.

Danger Sense: you can feel when danger is about to strike within one mile of your person (+) you can pinpoint the exact person in danger if you make eye contract with them (-)  you cannot turn this power off (-) you do not know when the danger will strike, only that it will most likely happen within the next 12 hours (-) you do not know the exact danger level except for when it involves death (-) you do not know how the danger will present itself

HISTORY

cw: death mention

WHEN THEY ASK HOW YOU CAN SHOULDER THE WORLD, you will tell them it’s a matter of perspective. The fall does not feel far when your cheek is already pushed to the ground, the dirt a familiar taste in your mouth. After a time, pain can transform into pleasure and rebuild a girl into a heroine. So when they ask if you understand the weight of your responsibility you will reply there has never been enough for you to carry. As a child you are made aware of things that lurk in the night, the phantoms that haunt others much like you, and the gift that you possess like a key. Your secret is stored in a locket, kept hidden around the length of your neck and it reminds you of the tragedies that await your failure. A girl with no sense of self other than the security she can provide others, you understand your life to mean more than the whole of your parts. It is the knowledge that you could be the hand of fate, the only person who sees fate as it is. You are given a choice then, extend your hand to save another, or cut the arm of one who begs for mercy — the decision has always been yours to make. It is one you have always known the answer to.

There is surrender in the ocean, a calm that molds your history. It carries with it the freedom of knowing, the ever constant flux of cause and effect, creation and destruction. An ocean is a small space of infinity and it exists endlessly without pause. Some will warn you that the sea is nothing but death, an abyss that can persuade a soul into stasis, but this is a lie spun by those who are too afraid of what they might be — of who they currently are. In truth, the ocean cannot separate itself from its parts in the same way humanity cannot separate itself from itself. You know this about man and you love them because of it. And so you stare into the abyss and try to memorize its face for you know that only a few may survive its knowledge — only you are strong enough to bear it.

CONNECTIONS

CALADRIUS﹒ GOD KNOWS WHAT BONES I’D BE GNAWING ON IN MY SLEEP

You learn of his shadow in the same way he learns of yours. The stars align just so, and the wind brushes past just right, and the words that would have made Camelot crumble are made softer by moonlight. Your friendship emerges as the consequence of your selfishness — you wouldn’t have wanted it otherwise. There is a silent recognition between you, a mutual understanding of who you are and what you must do. CALADRIUS sees it as a game, a thing to make light of the dark situation you are both in. You appreciate it as a consequence of all things interesting. Still, you hope he dies first in the timeline of your lives. You hope he dies so that he will not have to bear the weight of knowing he might have saved you. You hope he loses so that he can be spared from another victory.

ROOK ﹒WOULD YOU DO IT AGAIN? YES.

cw: parental death

Your devotion is not a coincidence, it is the result of regret. ROOK does not know this but you were there the night her parents died, you knew this in the same way you knew the sun would rise again. The weight of this guilt resides in the truth that you could have prevented it, that you could have spared them, but you saw the way his lips moved into a smile and you were envious of the way love clung to her. It doesn’t matter that you too were a child, anyone can save anyone, you were just too much of a coward who couldn’t see past her own life. ROOK and her family were the result of your envy, the tragedy that follows in the wake of your humanity. They did not reach out for you to save them, but shouldn’t have needed to ask. Now, ROOK is the only person who can give you absolution. You will never tell her of this event, you do not want her forgiveness — you couldn’t ask for it.

SPARROW﹒   WHAT I MEAN TO SAY, PERHAPS, IS THAT, IN A WAY, I AM NEVER EMPTY OF YOU

Death in its many forms has come to greet you, but SPARROW’S family is the one you miss the most. Fate sewed your souls together, strung your hearts along a clothesline, and allowed the sun to damage your memories into a nostalgic blotted pattern. Your life was touched by theirs and for a moment you believed yourself capable of holding onto something that wasn’t out of obligation. But resentment has ways of manifesting itself that precedes the laws of love. It was wrong of you to blame them for a fate they couldn’t control, but you saw the threat before anyone could think of its existence. SPARROW might not have been the one in danger, but the effect was essentially the same. They would have been wounded by the harm to another, and for that you shielded them from the worst of it. You could not have controlled the compulsion to protect them, just as you could not deny the feeling of bitterness at having to do so.

If I can say one thing to girls, it's that your word is important, it is meant to be heard, and it is priceless. Girls, your "No" is just as powerful as your "Yes."

•If you were interested in someone, and for some reason, the spark isn't there anymore, you are not obligated to continue to be with him.

•You do not owe him anything.

•Your happiness is the most important thing. So NEVER SETTLE.

•When we say "No" it means "No" not maybe next week I might change my mind. It means that when we HONESTLY just want to be friends. Seriously, no tricks.

•It does not feel good nor is it flattering when you continue to come back and pressure us into a relationship.

•He will get over you, and you will find someone else who deserves you.

•Never date someone because you feel sorry for them, you not only lie to him, but also to yourself.

•You are beautiful no matter what your size, and you matter.

•And finally, God loves you and is always with you even when you feel alone. And your worth comes from what is within, not what others think of you.

He wants to use you….His power is available

THOUGHT OF THE DAY

“For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel – not with wisdom and eloquence, lest 

the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.”

1 Corinthians 1:17

  There is a power available to us, a power far greater than we have ever imagined.

When Christ died on the cross and rose again we were delivered.

We no longer had to rely on our own strength. We were…

SAINT GUILLOTINE

COOK. M. ( 32-35 ) Lee Soo Hyuk.

HISTORY

THE WORLD IS BUT A GAME AND YOU WILL TRIUMPH AS VICTOR OVER IT. A prodigy following in the footsteps of your renowned mother and father, it was only natural for you to surpass limits and break the rules that existed. You play with food, you turn it into a game, the natural swing of one movement to the next - ah yes, everything was easy. Egotism blossomed as did the nonchalance of your handsome demeanor. You laugh, you tease - another grin, cheekier than ever as you rise. They say the higher you climb, the greater you’d fall, but it runs in your blood, your veins, to alternate between the crossroads before you. An answer would always exist, all you have to do is find it.

Lackadaisical debauchee, even your mistakes and failures make you great. You were looked upon as a saint of bloodshed and of mercy, radiant in your demeanor - the calming presence right before one’s last breath. The ease of killing under the oath of an archaic King bored you, the loyalty you had pledged upon your tongue was regurgitated nonsense. The laws that presided over the country were a death sentence to freedom, to growth, to progress. The day you dared to gaze directly into the eyes of your sovereign, you smiled - bidding adieu to it all, no bow made in sight. He was not your King, not of the future that you desire. Your arrogance sentences you to treason but you smile - you already knew, every danger in society would come to challenge you. And you would do what you did best, rise again and again.

CONNECTIONS

MADAME MASSACRE ⌱  APOLOGIES I MAKE WITH A KNIFE IN YOUR SKIN

Did you feel pity when you first saw her? Even you could barely remember if the girl was a child or a weapon awaiting to be sharpened. It was in a shared talent for violence that you two were put to use for the King himself. You remember the blood that dripped from the corners of her lips as she devoured,  standing barefooted and hollow-eyed after each task. You deceived yourself into believing that you came to her aid - in truth, it was your own hubris, arrogance and superiority that drove you to do what you did. You offered an outstretched palm, you shared laughs and she learned to smile; it was sickeningly sweet. But then one day she stood in your way, and you remembered, what a stupid disposable nuisance - so you didn’t hesitate. Sorry, you said humorously between pointed teeth as you buried her alive with palms of blood. In another life, perhaps you would’ve liked to be friends. Another lie. You’d kill her again as a reminder of her place. 

ANGEL OF TERROR ⌱ BLOODSHED BETWEEN BOYHOOD AND BROKEN BONES

In a godless place surrounded by the weight of your ancestors, it was only he who knew you from the very beginning. You were always made to feel special until you were introduced to him. He treated you without deference and the intrigue built a weave of endless competition - for the first time, another boy stood shoulder to shoulder with you in talent and reputation. He knew you as you knew him - all those hours spent fighting side by side, reveling in your triumphs together, a friendship built on the warmth of his arms around yours. You held him close and you believe he did too. But then he disappeared. For the first time in years, you felt the wretched grief of abandonment and loneliness. He changed when you saw him again, disregarding what once was shared, holding a blade to your throat as he reminded you of his ambitions. You have not forgotten the betrayal that made him into someone you despised. For that, you shall remind him of your pain with a fist to his bones. In your cruelty, you shall beg in the silence, between the smear of blood, murder me if you dare. 

GOD KILLER ⌱ I NEVER DESIRED A GOD, BUT I DO NOT KNOW WHAT TO CALL THIS HUNGER

You, who knew life first in its most feral and humane nature, chased the world in curiosity. With him, you followed his footsteps since you learned his name - he, who stood tall under the legacy of a man made like God, dazzled with temptation. It was ironic how he saw nothing but prison in a life that permitted endless wandering and yet envied the leash that shackled you to a life that you never wanted. Was it greed or was it the cannibalization of yourself as you ate the dreams of the people you brought to death itself? The countless moments where your paths crossed had predestined your fate as enemies. But the more you came to understand the necessity of your roles - the more you came to understand the parasitic dependence of needing each other to survive. He became your unspoken brother of blood. Seeing the cold depth of a man who slaughtered his father cover your mistake, one worthy of your death, struck a chord in you of pathetic anguish. He chose to become what he despised for your preservation. It was then that you yearned to be something more than a pawn on the world stage.

SUNKEN WITCH ⌱  YOU CONSUME GOLD AS I INHALE BLOOD

It was she who came to you first with a proposition on her tongue. At first you had merely complied out of curiosity but it wasn’t long before you began to manipulate the framework of her game. While her connections touted notable figures, you found a way to persuade her of your preferred targets - she hardly relented to it when you made sure to line her pockets with the aftermath of your carefully selected carnage. It was a slow purge of the corrupt that seemed to cleanse court every so briefly. But you knew better than to trust the machinations of your own decisions and devices. When one devil was eliminated, another would replace it as its new head, the pieces only changed with a new face and name - their core still as rotten as ever. However, you kept such thoughts to yourself, knowing better than to work too closely with SUNKEN WITCH. You can see the corruption that shines in her eyes. You’ve always watched her without her knowledge to keep her in check. Should she stray beyond the boundaries, you wouldn’t hesitate to add her corpse to your ever-expanding graveyard. 

DOVE. ERES   —   31,  M.

Accelerated Healing: body recovers much faster than the average person (+) results in heightened physical endurance (+) reduces the threat of fatal wounds (-) does not prevent death (-) healing is not instantaneous and its speed fluctuates based on the severity of the injury (-) wounds still need to be treated and dressed

HISTORY

WHEN THE KNIFE DESCENDS UPON YOU, IT SINKS IN TO CARESS RATHER THAN CLEAVE. It is both by your own will and that of the Beast. The two of you have chosen one another, like the primordial union of yielding bone and furling flesh. Like any deity worthy of its bloodied altar, the Beast demands sacrifice, and you give it willingly; as you’ve come to realize that there is no greater freedom in this world than choosing to bare your own throat.

CONNECTIONS

ALBATROSS﹒ INTO THE SHADOWS, I GO AND FIND YOU

It wasn’t just the massacre from your past that spat you back into the streets; her hand is just as soiled as the hand of fate. While you were running, a beam fell upon you, and you would have been crushed if it weren’t for her arrival. But just as fast as she saved you, she discarded you, and you resent her for it. She cast you aside as though you were no more important than the rubble you left behind, and it’s a slight that you don’t intend to forget.

VULTURE﹒ALL THE CONSTELLATIONS AND MYTHS WE’VE DEVOURED

You share similar attachments to the Beast, ones that stem from fundamentally different roots. Your view of the Beast is based on intuition, trust, greed and devotion, while theirs is a curious mix of the spiritual and the scientific. They’ve taken to drawing you into elaborate discussions and running little experiments on you, and for the most part, you indulge them. You can’t deny that a part of you shares their curiosity.

MAGPIE﹒ I NEEDED, AND NEED HAD ME BY THE UNCLEAN THROAT

He’s the only person whose reverence towards you mirrors the intense veneration that was once lavished upon you, and you can’t help but lap it up. You covet his adoration, but you’re also intrigued by him; a sentiment that’s rooted itself within you ever since the first time you heard him speak in your shared philosophy club. You both seek something in each other, and it’s unclear whether you’ll drown in excess or come up empty.

MALLARD﹒ SILENT LANGUAGE BREEDS FIRE

You’re opposites, but you’re also one and the same. Strangers as you are, you’ve been present in each other’s lives at crucial, unforgettable points. You crossed paths long before reuniting in the crew, and to your surprise, her disposition towards you has not been warped by time. So much lies unspoken between you, and you aren’t entirely sure how you feel about her. But there’s a connection there, and you can’t help but let it tug you.