[Verse 1]
The council chamber
Everyone present
And the council
Who had seen things
That had no names
In languages that no longer existed
“You asked for an explanation”
[Pre-Chorus]
The darkness and the light
Have been in contest
How long
Aldric already had the number
Historia had it written
One thousand
Trillion
Billion
Million years
Or more
[Chorus]
Level 289
The edge of everything
Level 289
Where the black hole forms
This is not a war about territory
This is not a war about power
This is a war about a door
Level 289 — The Gatekey
It opens any level
Any fold
Any reality
Any space
Any time
Without need of law
[Verse 2]
“The pact of the folds — you know this”
The captains: roughly
“The folds were a compromise”
“Neither side crosses”
“That agreement has held”
“And 289—”
The council was quiet
“Whoever holds the Gatekey
Holds everything
Without exception”
[Pre-Chorus 2]
And the darkness wants the Gatekey
And the council has been fighting
For one thousand trillion billion million years
Or more
And the council
Is losing
[Bridge — The Irregular]
The room was quiet
Every eye on one person
“And what is your proposal”
“You”
“The Irregular”
“You are the reason
The darkness is stronger
Your presence carries something
A certain dark
We have measured it”
Madela stopped cleaning
[One beat of silence]
“But you also carry light
A kind we have not seen
In one thousand trillion billion million years
You are both
Which makes you dangerous
Which makes you possibly
The only answer
We are divided”
[Final Chorus]
Level 289
Every captain
They looked at each other
Void — already standing
Madela — cloth down
Chaos — somewhere in this room
And in the way that only a crew does
After everything they survived
Every captain
In unison:
“Sign me up”
[Outro]
Not a question
Not a hesitation
Not a vote
Just that
All of them
Same moment
Same words
Madela picked up the cloth
Resumed cleaning
The council made a decision
Level 289
Here we come
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