Ashes And Armor

[Intro] (Heavy, downtuned guitar riff with syncopated drum groove, rain sounds, distant industrial clang) [Verse 1] Six years old, beneath the weight Of words like knives sealing my fate Tiny fists clenched against the night Learning to hide, learning to f***t Scars you carved into my skin A battle forced, I couldn't win But deep inside, a spark remained Through every terror, every pain [Pre-Chorus] You tried to break me, bend the knee But something wild stayed free in me A flicker in the choking smoke Refusing every word you spoke [Chorus] And I will gather all these ashes From the fire that you burned me with! And I will wear them proudly For the whole damn world to see! Yeah, in the darkest moments Nothing left to shield this heart You could not extinguish The warrior in me! [Verse 2] Years bled on, the w*r ground slow Learned to take the hardest blows Built my armor piece by piece Finding fragments, finding peace In the rubble, in the grime Forged a weapon out of time Every wound, a lesson learned This phoenix heart, it cannot burn [Pre-Chorus] You thought the silence meant defeat A victory you'd claim so sweet But underneath the fractured mask I was rebuilding, up to task [Chorus] And I will gather all these ashes From the fire that you burned me with! And I will wear them proudly For the whole damn world to see! Yeah, in the darkest moments Nothing left to shield this heart You could not extinguish The warrior in me! [Bridge] (Heavier, slower tempo, guttural guitars, Maria Brink-esque intense spoken/sung vocals building) **For even in my darkest moments...** (Drums drop to pounding single hits) **...when I had nothing...** (Vocals become raw, strained scream) **...nothing to shield or protect myself with...** (Guitars swell with dissonant feedback) **YOU! COULD! NOT! EXTINGUISH!** (Full band c***h, intense scream) **THE WARRIOR! IN! ME!** [Guitar Solo] (Screeching, melodic solo over driving groove and double-bass drums, incorporating elements of the main riff and chorus melody) [Chorus] (Full intensity, layered vocals - clean melody over harsh backing) So I gather all these ASHES! From the fire that you burned me with! And I wear them like a CROWN now! For the whole damn world to see! Yeah, in the darkest moments Stripped bare, no shield, no art You could not extinguish The warrior in this heart! NEVER extinguish The warrior in me! [Outro] (Final chorus line repeated, vocals strong and clear) The warrior in me! (Music abruptly cuts to the main heavy riff, played once more with power) (Riff echoes and fades into lingering feedback and the sound of returning rain)