Helmet on the Mantle

[Intro] (Heavy, slow-tempo guitar riff with mournful synth strings and deep, resonant drums sets a somber, oppressive atmosphere) [Verse 1] Crimson bled across Yed Prior's sky A final kiss, a whispered, choked goodbye Your hand slipped from mine, a cold eclipse As you marched towards the orbital ships The engines roared, a monstrous sound Shaking the ground where I stood bound Watching your Hellpod streak like falling star Towards the w*r, so fierce, so far Steel rain falling, Automaton dread Whispers of the living, soon to be d**d [Chorus] I wait beneath this alien sun's glare Counting breaths in the poisoned air Praying to gods that never hear For the sound of your return, my dear Through shattered coms and static screams I cling to hope within my dreams That you'll emerge from hell's own fire My fallen angel, my heart's desire [Verse 2] Days bleed to weeks, a hollow ache Each silent dawn, a new heartbreak The broadcasts speak of losses deep While shattered souls their vigils keep I scan the lists with trembling hand No trace of you in this damned land The divers speak in voices low Of battles lost in fields below Of metal claws and plasma bright Consuming men in endless night [Chorus] I wait beneath this alien sun's glare Counting breaths in the poisoned air Praying to gods that never hear For the sound of your return, my dear Through shattered coms and static screams I cling to hope within my dreams That you'll emerge from hell's own fire My fallen angel, my heart's desire [Bridge] (Heavy, crushing riff slows further, deep guttural male vocals briefly join the female lead in a mournful duet) They came at dusk, their faces grim No victory hymn, no hopeful whim No words were needed, their eyes told all The final curtain, the bitter fall They placed it heavy in my hands Cold ceramite, from distant lands Your helmet scarred, your visor cracked A silent tomb for love attacked The void you left, a crushing weight Sealed by this relic, sealed by fate [Guitar Solo] (Extended, mournful guitar solo weaving a tapestry of grief and fury over heavy, doom-laden riffs and symphonic swells) [Verse 3] No tears now fall, they turned to ice A frozen sea, a sacrifice This hollow shell upon the shelf Mocks the remnants of myself But in its depths, a spark ignites Not love's soft glow, but vengeance's lights Your f***t is done, your song is sung But mine, my love, has just begun This helmet's weight, a solemn vow To walk the path you walk now [Final Chorus] (Female vocals soar with fierce determination over the heavy riff, joined by a choir for the last lines) No more I wait beneath this sun's d**d glare No more counting breaths in poisoned air No prayers to deaf and distant spheres I silence now my useless tears I don the black, the crimson mark Step towards the dark, embrace the spark Of righteous fury, cold and deep Where shattered lovers never sleep I *am* the fire, I *am* the dread For you, my love... among the d**d! (Choir swells powerfully: "AMONG THE D**D!") [Outro] (Heavy, slow, deliberate riff repeats, fading gradually. Somber synth strings and a final, echoing, distorted guitar note h**g in the air. The music fades to near silence, leaving only the faint, chilling sound of wind whistling over metal, perhaps the helmet itself.)