My energy’s spent at last
And my armor is destroyed
I have used up all my weapons and I’m helpless and bereaved
Wounds are all I’m made of
Did I hear you say that this is victory?

We kick and scratch and claw to naught but a jack-a-nape toy.

Damn the darkness, I'll not slip  quietly to gray autumn. A summit, gilded through haze, taunts me nonetheless. E'er the veils do press before me, e'er will I hack them away. Sword slivers in my hand, breastplate cruel to my flesh; cast them away. But a blazing heart to crest the mount, cherished affectations paper-thin. Stand at the climax and shout to the ether, dare you cast me as chaff to the wind! Fates howling at tempest, trembling and steadfast I am lashed.

Chaos ebbs to dawn, blackness fades to light. Enveloped in tranquil stillness, husks litter my feet. At the nadir, many tiny eyes, like lasers aspire to the summit. Seeming unbidden from my breast, a gilded light pours forth. The tiny eyes shine with purpose, and gazing back, the summit shines anew. And I descend the other side, summits ahead in my gaze.