As Ever Like the Sun & Moon at War

6- ☾❂☼

Pariah plunges deep beneath the waves

and loses grip upon the handled chest,

his body sinking deeper through the dark

and losing track of what is up and down

as ocean currents spin and sweep him up,

their salt to burn his eye and dry his lips

and thrust his consciousness upon itself

so once again he stands within his mind,

surrounded by the vastness deep within

that houses his and Pilgrim's sep'rate souls                10

that share alike this skull's containment space.

Our Pilgrim stands, a light among the dark

to emanate his radiance upon

the scene whilst outcast's umber flame ignites

around the shape he's taken in this plane

t'absorb the light that's cast by counterpart.

It's by this struggle twixt the light and dark—

these dancing shadows—that he notices

the waxing tide which all around them floods

their mind around their ankles icy cold                20

and flashes into steam around their flames,

which gathers all around to hang a haze

of fog about the scene, obscuring view.

Our Pilgrim's aura bursts with raging light

upon the sight of th'umber flick'ring hot,

and swirls round his shape with rising steam

to rush about as cyclones on the sea.

"We meet again, my devil, in this realm,

where once again I'll make to flood thee out

to cleanse thy sin and guilt all out from me."                30

Our Pilgrim launches forth a blast of steam

to which Pariah raises up defence

as bars of vapour part the water down

below and on collision fan away

what's gather'd at his feet with blasting force

that spreads to dissipate around his shape

as outcast blocks the shot so aim'd at him.

And with the blast deflected doth he say:

"And once again thou'lt lose this spat of ours,

for as I've said before, I'm not a curse,                40

but rather I am born within this form

the same as thee. Aside from that thou'lt find

that even if these waters cleans'd our sin

they wouldn't wash our guilt away, for that

is permanent upon a heavy heart.

And note that I implied these waters could