Homecoming

Perilously you tread within an unknown temple

Unbeknowingst to you of the demon sleeping within

The temple tells you

"Go no further,For your sight will fail long before your mind does"

Yet you flounder along,

Running into statues,

Tripping over pews,

And relieving yourself on the altar.

And suddenly, the demon of a long forgotten people appears before you

With snarling teeth, he speaks in his ancient language

A language you cannot understand.

He c***s his head in innocent folly as he approaches you.

You fall over the altar in an attempt to escape,

An attempt you realize, has sealed your own fate.

The demon lunges with prenatural speed and wild instinct

You run through the halls of the temple,

In your frantic raid, you take notice of the historic beauty within

Oh the angels that once sanctified those halls, where were they now?

The demon laughs at the game he plays with you,

Entrapping you at every turn.

This was his playhouse, you realize in horror.

The angels were trapped by this demon, and used as penance for his undying hunger.

You pray to your God,

A voice with sound of grated steel echoes within your mind:

"God cannot save you, for you have desecrated a temple that wasn't his.

For this you must pay the price to this creature of Sin."

The demon catches you, as if no longer enjoying his little game

He bites down and leaves his mark, and he leaves.

Puzzled you leave his realm, and wander back into the confines of man.

Your mind begins to shift as your sight dims.

Forever wandering back into that place of catastrophic wonder,

As the desire within your heart begins to swell,

You find yourself, once again, wandering through death's hall.

You take notice of those statues,

Depicting the struggle of an ancient race

You appreciate the pews,

Which allowed those people to pray to the Deity

And you stand before the altar,

Which payed homage to your God.

And suddenly, the demon appears before you again,

No longer snarling, but smiling with genuine warmth.

Suddenly, he spoke with a language and voice the sound of angelic bells,

"You ran from your people to cast out your shame,

Yet in this flight, you have forgotten yourself."

Before you appears a mirror with shining brilliance,

You look into it and admire yourself, 

true beauty and grace

Precise, yet powerful,

And as though a crack of lightining stuck the heart of the mirror,

It shatters, along with the images, hopes, and dreams before you.

You stare into the mirror again.

You tremble, and cry in dismay at what you see before you.

The demon laughs and holds out a gnarled hand.

A gnarled hand, that is your own.