Infinite Spectrum - The Church lyrics

Chapter I: Dark Whispers Standing in its shadow, the old temple shows its age Desolation and decay hang like a pall about the place The vacant gothic structure, by padlocked rusty gate confined A touch of the dimly sinister, which I cannot define Dark whispers, tales of superstition From some unknown, vast gulf of night What monstrous evil dwelt within and left its mark, shuttered from the light? Legends are evoked, fear of something locked away behind the darkest door Some things are better left to rest in peace, Alone in the blackness forevermore The square is oddly quiet, the church yard overgrown A few people in the distance, I approach a constable He speaks of priestly warnings, foul things of days gone past And a cult that summoned evil, in dark days that didn't last Dark whispers, tales of superstition From some unknown, vast gulf of night What monstrous evil dwelt within and left its mark, shuttered from the light? Legends are evoked, fear of something locked away behind the darkest door Some things are better left to rest in peace, Alone in the blackness forevermore The dark sect took root within the church's gothic walls, Sometimes town folk would go missing, A mystery still unsolved It took a valiant priest to exorcise the beast Drive out the heretics, but some still believe the evil lies in wait Now I'm edging nearer to the church's iron gate Missing bars provide me entrance to the temple and my fate My trespa** is revealed by those who make the cross They slowly back away, as if they know the cost Amidst the rot and tangles I search for entryway Doors locked, I walk the path around the stone blockade A cellar window, pa**age to within the church's walls I struggle with my fear, but still I hear the call Chapter II: Entry Into the dark, I let myself down to the concrete floor Within the vast cellar of dense shadows, my courage I enforce A black archway to the right leads to the upper floor I climb the worn stone steps The darkness I deplore Strange as any imagining, as if my weird tales came to life Strange feelings, eyes upon me, a malignant presence I can't describe I fumble without light, A blind man feeling with his hands Stopped by a closed door in dark as black as night Pushed open to a corridor, dimly lit my eyes do glance The ma**ive hall revealed, through stained gla** rays of light Strange as any imagining, as if my weird tales came to life Strange feelings, eyes upon me, a malignant presence I can't describe Cobwebs dress the pews The altar holds the dust of time The cross of an unknown faith, adorned in filth and grime Into a vestry room are shelves of mildewed, rotting books Black, forbidden volumes of legend or unknown Strange as any imagining, as if my weird tales came to life Strange feelings, eyes upon me, a malignant presence I can't describe This place was once the seat of evil older than mankind The man*scripts they prove it The local rumors had not lied Characters and symbols on the printed page Occult, and long forgotten from the darkest age I see the Book of Dzyan, the Necronomicon Books of blackest magic, darkest echelon Within a ruined desk, I find a small black book A record book of entries in ancient cryptograph I recognize the symbols from days of study past The small book I take with me The code I must unmask Am I the one to conquer the town's pervasive fear that left the church deserted for over sixty years? Am I the only one to tread these hallowed halls since the start of rumor and dark cultists' fall? Chapter III: The Ascent Through the dust and silken webs I trudge on, I will not be deterred, to the front entrance A door reveals stairs It begins with just one step and leads to my ascent Spiral motion, pull me up Anticipation, push me on Upward still proceeding, in winding, twisting steps The windows show a city in miniature Church tower lies above I await with bated breath It all seems so unreal Spiral motion, pull me up Anticipation, push me on Just a few more steps, to end this epic quest, Just a few more steps Just a few more steps Chapter IV: The Shining Trapezohedron At last I reach the summit, The tower has no chime I see a stone pillar center lined A strange box atop, from outside time and space Within a shining crystal, black as hate Entranced as if by magic, Shining crystal holds my gaze I see worlds of great stone towers Alien terrain Around the pillar a rough circle, Seven gothic chairs and cryptic carvings alien Hieroglyphs of unknown origin The peculiar rock the power to transcend Titan mountains, worlds of wonder, clouded by a haze Stirring in vague blackness, struggling hard to look away Chapter V: Spectres My eyes are pulled away, a skeleton in tattered suit of grey A steeple as a tomb How did he meet this doom? He wears a reporter's badge Notebook of black, clutched in bone white hand The past his pages illustrate Mystery of the church's darkest fate Professor Enoch Bowen buys the church Back from Egypt, so starts the curse 1848, ten have disappeared, Stories of blood sacrifice are whispered on the air Spectres from the past reduced to dust and ash Within the church's walls, unholy rites recalled Message from the past, the conspiracy is vast Within the crystal stone, into the great unknown The priest warns of devil worship and a box from Egypt's ruins It calls something from the darkness and is banished by the light Some claim the crystal shows them heaven and The Haunter of the Dark tells secrets in some way They call the Haunter forth from void of blackness Only light can send it back from whence it came 1857, they call it up by crystal gaze, The cult of Starry Wisdom growing day by day Some claim the crystal shows them heaven and The Haunter of the Dark tells secrets in some way They call the Haunter forth from void of blackness Only light can send it back from whence it came Spectres from the past reduced to dust and ash Within the church's walls, unholy rites recalled Message from the past, the conspiracy is vast Within the crystal stone, into the great unknown Too many years of mystery disappearance Opinion of the public finally sways The time is right for justice, retribution All that's left are ghosts from those dark days The crystal pulls me in again, entranced by far off worlds Panic breaks the spell Strange connection, somehow our beings are entwined I feel it there behind me, The Haunter of the Dark I slam the lid down on the shining crystal stone I hear movement from above, I know I'm not alone A monster in the steeple, I fear for my life I run from the church and into the night Back to the sane central streets of my home Away from this nightmare, nevermore to Federal Hill