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What once was ceased to be - What was left was made low The greatest of ideas had died and been reborn The greatest of Storms was to rage by its side The Storm raged for a season, and all was made waste The asleep were spared - The Arisen were devoured The Charontes frolicked in the cities of men The Black River was carried away by the winds The Underworld was attacked on all sides The Charontes grew bold - The Charontes waxed fat The Gods and the Shades stood side by side at the gates The walls did not fall, nor buckle nor crack At the end of the season the Storm came to an end All that had been was gone - All that was left was ruin The Underworld was buried by heaven and earth The Black River no longer reached up to the light Upon death there would be no more ferrying of souls The new world had claimed them - The new world had won The dead were no longer beholden to Charun The world had been remade and him left outside So Emperor Charun gathered his Ferrymen to him Those who had not perished - Those who followed him still He bade them return to the surface once more And to tell him of what they discovered up there The journey was more difficult than they had imagined The Black River was stopped - The road was made hard But they soon learned the way to go through the barrier One day they were able to fulfill his command They told their Emperor of the new world above them They spoke of its changes - They spoke of its ways They told Dread Charun of the new way of things The told him of how the dead went somewhere new But the dead were not always taken away As before some were sleeping - As before some arose And those who arose were now left behind The new world had not thought of what to do with them These lost souls were now trapped and had no resolution The old world was blocked - The new world was shut The Ferrymen said not a one could come hither Their unfinished business lay too heavy upon them Emperor Charun was angered by this He asked of their succor - He asked of their welfare They said these dead were lost to the Charontes' tortures They said there would be no rest for these pitiful ones These were the words that the Ferrymen spoke Dread Charun he raged - Wise Charun he pondered He consulted with Vanth, whose eyes were now clear And she told him that this was his mandate made plain So did Emperor Charun declare this new age the Concord The old world had fallen - The new world was broken He would see to it these dead were all cared for He would move heaven and earth for these souls |