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How to listen to the album

A Thousand Year Love Story is available on all major streaming platforms and for download.

Spotify | Apple Music | Google Play | Download MP3s from Bandcamp

The album is split into five chapters, each taking place 250 years apart from the previous. The story follows a linear path, which mirrors the manner of how we developed the songs—almost every track is presented in the order in which we wrote them. As the album evolves, so too did our writing, which is reflected in every new chapter.

To use this compendium, simply scroll to each chapter and select the song you wish to learn about.

For the ultimate listening experience, we recommend finding a spot to observe the night sky—ideally away from any light pollution—and then setting your gaze upon the stars.

PROLOGUE: ORION AND ALHENA

  • PROLOGUE: ORION AND ALHENA
    How does a blind man view the world?

    "How does a blind man view the world?

    He does not see things in black or white, nor does he see the subtle grays of every situation—he simply does not see; he feels his way through life. In this vein, it is therefore possible to say that all life in the physical universe is blind. Many lesser beings subscribe to the notion 'seeing is believing,' but what do you believe when you truly cannot see? Sensory perception can only get one so far in life; there is a greater power, inherent between us three creators: Chaos.

    Through the universe, this intangible entity courses through all matter and consciousness: stars, planetary bodies, cosmic dust, black holes, life, and existence. Existence cannot function in a pure process; it feeds from the Giver, perishes by its twin, the Taker, bleeds randomness, and offsets all that is good in the world. With the Chaotic Entity there will always be an inherent difference and randominity in life's realities.

    Although such differences can produce wonderful results, the distinction remains only to balance against a pure existence. One can try to tackle right versus wrong, truth versus lies, happiness versus pain, and even life versus death, but reality is fragmented by the inherent and inevitable constant: Chaos. One fragment, however, now baffles us, and is one we never imagined—for we did not create it.

    This baffling fragment is the antithesis to Chaos, and is one that we will never fully understand. Only in its simplest form can we perceive it. When you touch things, you feel with your hands. When you smell things, you feel with your nose. When you hear things, you feel with your ears. But when you love...what are you feeling with?

    The perplexities are endless, and that is troubling to us. We Give. We Take. And in the end we control, but we cannot control this. This is something we never accounted for. Love is something we never accounted for. "

    —The Watcher

  • Stars
    "Like Constellations in the night sky"

    Before the creation of the Universe, all energy was compressed into a singularity. Every star in the sky, every planet, every speck of dust, and every person you have ever known or loved was contained within this tiny speck of Everything. Finally, after several eternities, and with great force, all existence was thrust into being with a grand spectacle.

    For billions of years after, two seemingly tiny forms of energy crossed through space and time, wandering aimlessly. Never once crossing paths, never once remembering their past connectedness. That is, until an event brought them together, binding two energies—two souls—together, forever entwining them, as it was in the Beginning.

    By random happenchance, with the force of a supernova, the souls of Orion and Alhena meet for the first time since the very awakening of it.

Chapter I: Love Ritual (Limassol Fallen)

  • Chapter I: Love Ritual
    Cyprus, End of Third Crusades, 1193 A.D.

    In 1191, after the successful siege of Limassol by King Richard I of England’s forces, a staging point was established for the Third Crusades. With his forces and supplies now relatively close, in Cyprus, the third great holy war could be waged much easier against the Saracens.

    Shortly after this, however, King Richard realized Cyprus would be much too hard to maintain, and sold it to the Knights Templar. Many Templar soldiers had rallied in the cause to free Jerusalem from the grip of Saladin, but with the Treaty of Jaffa, a three year truce would occur.

    During this short time of peace, a Kurdish woman, Alhena, finds herself on the island of Cyprus. Once a prisoner of war, she now is being set for release due to the treaty.

    A mid-ranking soldier of the Knights Templar, Orion, is overseeing her release when he locks eyes with her. The connection is made; their hearts ignite.

    Orion’s ranking officer, the Captain of the Limassol fortification, storms in, refusing to free any of the prisoners, remarking that they will all be executed. After a heated argument and pleading from Orion, the Captain concedes. He agrees to spare the life of Alhena and the others, but they must remain locked up until he confirms from his commanding officer they may be set free.

    Over the next few days, Orion visits Alhena, personally bringing her food and water. He even brings her additional water for ritual cleansing as is customary in her Muslim tradition. The love growing between them is forbidden and taboo.

    Orion arrives one day to find one of the guards trying to force himself on top of Alhena. Without a second thought, Orion lifts the man off of her and brings a knife to his throat. The guard is saved only by the grace of Alhena’s hand. Her touch is a soothing breeze of calmness rushing through Orion’s body.

    Orion lets the guard go, and begins to weep. Alhena’s touch becomes an embrace. It is within this thoughtful caressing that he starts to question the years of death and destruction brought forth in the absurdity of this holy war.

  • Cleansing Through Fire
    "It's cold outside without you"

    Orion’s Captain sends him away for a patrol. He is told there have been some Cypriot rioters, loyalists to Isaac Komnenos, making trouble in a village outside of the city. Komnenos, the previous ruler of Cyprus who was now imprisoned at Margat Castle in Syria, had a few followers, but Orion thought it weird for there to still be dissenters two years after his capture.

    While Orion is away, the Captain rounds up all of the prisoners, including Alhena, and sentences them to death. The treaty struck between King Richard and Saldin had not been in total favor of the Crusaders, which did not sit well with the Captain. This loathing would now be taken out on the Muslim prisoners.

    While the Captain prepares several stakes for immolating the prisoners, Alhena calls out for Orion.

    Orion is hit with a pang to his chest, forcing him to fall off his horse. He hears Alhena’s voice echoing in his head and senses her in danger.

    As Orion’s troops gather round to help him up, he pushes them away, climbs on his horse and rides at full speed back to the Templar encampment. He arrives just in time to see Alhena burning at the stake.

  • The Storm Cometh
    "Tear it out of me; take it"

    Despite the several burning bodies charred beyond recognition, Orion knows which one is Alhena. He falls to his knees at her stake, crying out in heartache.

    The Captain approaches from behind, laying a hand on Orion's shoulder.

    “We need to talk about your love for a Saracen,” the Captain cooly ordered.

    A bloodlust curdles inside Orion, his vision narrows, focusing on one thing: to kill that which has killed his matched soul.

    With a single motion, Orion draws his sword from its sheath and lops the head off the Captain. The other Templars stand for a moment in complete shock, but then move to apprehend Orion.

    But Orion will not stop until every Templar on this island is destroyed.

  • Alhena's Ashes
    "Nothing left of us but the ashes falling through my hands"

    After laying waste to the soldiers of the Knights Templar at the fortification, Orion returns to the courtyard where the prisoners were burned. Stained in blood and now purging adrenaline, Orion approaches his lover’s charred remains. A crack of thunder erupts overhead, signaling imminent rainfall.

    Orion releases Alhena from her tether, not even needing a knife, as the rope simply crumbles away with his touch. He softly brings her body to the ground, where he holds her in his hands one last time, lamenting over her passage from this world.

    As the rain begins to douse the two bodies, Alhena oozes into mud, slipping through Orion’s fingers. Nothing is left but a pile of wet ashes.

    Reddish rain starts to run from Orion’s hair, leftovers from his rage. He stands, preparing his sword to replenish its fill of Templar blood. 

Chapter II: Reunion (The Painter and the Merchant’s Wife)

  • Chapter II: Reunion
    Hamburg, Germany, Pre-Renaissance, 1443 A.D.

    Before the influence of the Italian Renaissance swept through Europe north of the Alps, there were small pockets of the new enlightenment.

    One such leader of this new thought was Orion, an artist residing in the port city of Hamburg. His teachings on humanism were starting to catch the eyes of many progressive community leaders, and he used every opportunity to take on apprentices and protégés to help spread the word.

    Lately, however, Orion has been feeling listless, floating without purpose, waiting for a grand moment. Unbeknownst to him, an opportunity will present itself, changing the lives of two souls... 

  • Six Feet Under Me
    "I can feel it, can you feel it?"

    Years ago, a young woman, Alhena, resigned herself to marrying the successful merchant Matthias Reuchler, after being pressured by her family. Coming from a humble background, she knew what it would mean for her loved ones. And so, she jumped in head first and gave herself to Matthias willingly.

    Despite this, she still knew in her heart, she could feel it, that this isn’t who she was meant to be with.

    One afternoon, while pondering these wasted years, Matthias approaches and informs her that he has commissioned an artist to paint a portrait of her, and to meet in the garden at once.

    After entering the garden, she takes a seat on the stool placed for her in front of the easel. Her eyes lock with the painter’s—it’s Orion. A smile immediately overtakes her face as the connection is made again.

    She composes herself and sits impatiently while Orion paints. After some time, Matthias's own patience is tapped. He exits to tend business, leaving Orion and Alhena alone, together.

  • Tonight, Tonight
    "And I've chased my dreams along your tongue"

    The two soon-to-be lovers abscond into the evening, meeting at Orion’s abode. Passion envelopes them through the night. Orion brings his paint to bed during the process, using Alhena as his canvas. His magnum opus now lays before him.

    As they lay in bed, entangled, they conspire to run away together. Alhena’s need for escape and Orion’s need for a grand scheme have been solidified in this love.

    They are to meet tomorrow night at the fountain next to St. Katharinen Church, in the part of town that is now known as the Altstadt.

  • You Lied
    "I waited and waited and waited, but you never came"

    The following evening, as the half-moon ascends it’s nightly trek over Hamburg, Alhena anxiously waits for Orion by the fountain as planned. As time passes without any of sight of him, she begins to worry. Rightly so, for Matthias has caught wind of their tryst and pending elopement.

    The merchant's power and influence affords him favor with many interests, including those of a questionable nature. With ease, he hires two assassins for one purpose: to get rid of the painter.

    On his way to meet Alhena, Orion is confronted by the assassins at the Trostbrücke. In the dead of night, Orion is stabbed 11 times, before his body is dumped into Nikolaifleet, one of the tributaries which flows into the Elbe river.

    After waiting long enough, Alhena curses to the air at Orion, thinking she was deceived for a one night stand. She runs home, trying to sneak inside and avoid Matthias. But he is waiting for her in the dark.

    Without question or hesitation, Matthias stabs Alhena in the heart. As she feels her life force draining, Matthias whispers to her, “I killed him, too.”

    She smiles, confusing Matthias. Alhena fades to black, knowing that she did, after all, find who she was meant to be with.

Chapter III: Sacrifice (Passion in the King’s Court)

  • CHAPTER III: SACRIFICE
    France, Reign of Louis XIV, 1693 A.D.

    Louis XIV is approaching his 50th year as King of France. With several military exploits under its belt during King Louis's reign (including the Franco-Dutch War and the still raging War of the Grand Alliance), France has become the leading power in Europe.
    This year also marks the 10th anniversary of his first wife’s death, Maria Theresa of Spain.

    Although he resigned himself to being faithful to his second wife, Françoise d'Aubigné, Marquise de Maintenon, something has sparked in him lately, and he yearns for the touch of another lover, almost as if provoked by something outside of himself.

    He hopes that an upcoming engagement will prove fruitful for this new longing...

  • Inescapable
    "Trading secrets for sins, trading truth for lies"

    Orion, a cunning political figure in the King’s court and one of Louis XIV’s most trustful advisors, arrives at the Palace of Versailles. He, along with hundreds more attendees, are there to celebrate the 50th year of rule by the French King.

    During the Grand Ball, Orion spies a young debutante, Alhena, from across the room. As their gaze locks upon one another, an instant connection is fortified once again. Orion asks for her hand to dance as the Royal Band starts to play.

    They barely last to the end of the first song before they sneak out of the ballroom, looking for privacy. After evading many guards and patrons, and amongst giggles and joyous gasps, they find one of the many vacant rooms in the palace. As they share a lustful moment, it feels as if they’ve been here before.

    Knowing they must fulfil their assigned duties (of both a social and otherwise nature), they return to the party without incident. After a quick goodbye and a promise for future rendezvous, Alhena flashes a knowing smile to Orion as she disappears into the crowded dance floor.

    Orion returns to the section of the ballroom reserved for the King’s Court, where he’s approached by Louis.

    “Who was that delightful young creature you were talking to, Orion?”

  • Choices
    "And in the time it takes to say goodbye, the lights in her eyes die"

    Despite the King’s lustful cravings, he was able to control his urges at the celebration, remaining faithful to his wife. Oh how easy it would have been, he thought.

    For several days, however, his mind could not escape the debutante, Alhena. He was surprised that Orion didn’t have much information on her, as that’s his job, to know these sorts of things. Orion, of course, was keeping that information to himself on purpose.

    In a moment of irrationality, Louis vows to stay faithful to his wife, but cannot fathom Alhena being with another man. While describing his lust for Alhena, the King casually (but sincerely) mentions to Orion he would have her imprisoned if she were ever to take a lover:

    “If I can’t have her, no one can.”

    Orion’s heart sinks.

    He runs to Alhena as soon as he can away from court and wistfully explains they can never be together. He relays what the King has said, and agree they must be apart to save her from the King’s dungeon, where who knows what could happen to her over the years locked away.

    Alhena’s eyes well up, and in that moment, her heart breaks again.

  • Kyrie
    "But why can't I see in your eyes, the strangeness of your sight?"

    Back in Paris, Alhena takes a lonely walk along the Seine, contemplating what has become of her in such a short life. Knowing she can never be with Orion, or anyone for that matter, she veers off the walking path and continues into the river, until fully emerged.

    Despite several onlookers and rescue attempts, her body is never seen again.

    Orion learns of her death, which is ruled a swimming accident, but in his heart, Orion knows otherwise. He mourns for her until a month later where, while traveling through the Spanish Netherlands, he is killed by Holy Roman Empire soldiers. He is declared a casualty of war.

Chapter IV: Coalescence (Alhena’s Aria)

  • Intermission: Operation Avalanche
    World War 2 Allied Invasion of Italy, 1943 A.D.

    The Second World War rages on, with the United States recently entering the Mediterranean Theater. Operation Avalanche, the Allied offense against Salerno, Italy, is scheduled to commence in just a few hours.

    In the skies above, Orion, a pilot in the 5th Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron MAPRW, is flying an F-5 aerial photography variant of the P-38G Lightning.

    After completing his mission to surveil the Allied landing site at Salerno and the surrounding areas, his plane is shot at and damaged by German and Italian troops retreating from the “boot tip” of Italy. Despite his best attempts to keep the plane together, his engine fails.

    Realizing he can’t make it back to base, Orion figures he has just enough altitude to glide down to an empty field somewhere in Sicily, now controlled by the British Army.

    After a bumpy decent, Orion crash lands near Messina and manages to survive with minor injuries. He ditches his plane and begins to walk to town, trying to find some friendly

  • Chapter IV: Coalescence
    "La morte del corpo non è la morte dell'anima!"

    A tired Orion, weary from the crash landing, finds his way to Messina, a port city in the northeast of Sicily. He winds up just outside Chiesa del Carmine, a Roman Catholic church that was rebuilt after the previous structure was razed during the Messina earthquake of 1908. As Orion approaches the entrance, he hears an angelic voice reciting an Italian opera aria somewhere within the church.

    The voice sings of defying the Trihost—a cabal of three deities that control the universe...

  • A Soliloquy
    "It came on a summer's day, The first time I saw the sun in the rain"

    As Orion peers inside the church, he locks eyes with the owner of the voice, Alhena. Rain starts to fall with the sun still shining. His heart is set aflight, as this moment is the most beautiful experience he’s come to witness. He sheds a tear, which he wipes away while entering the church, closing distance to the source of the acoustic devine.

    As Orion approaches, he is lucky to find that Alhena surprisingly knows English. He greets Alhena with admiration, but before she can return his greeting, and with a sense that they already know each other, she notices he’s injured. Alhena leads him to a wing of the church and tends to his wounds.

    As she is applying bandages, Orion remarks about seeing the sun in the rain. She stops, looks up and replies, “I will show you something even better.”

    The two make their way to a hillside, next to Forte Gonzaga, a bastioned fort abandoned by Axis soldiers and now used by the Allies. They sit and watch as the sun starts to set. During this moment, Orion forgets about the war, and loses himself in Alhena’s eyes, set aglow by the tangerine sky.

  • A Night in Messina
    "I can't help but be drawn to you, With your gravity"

    Love struck and forgetting his call to duty, Orion shares a magical evening with Alhena. They stay together long enough to see the sun set and the moon rise.

    They kiss. As their lips touch, it feels as if they lift from the ground below. The feeling is euphoric, uplifting—quite literally. They undress each other, feel one another, and for a moment, become inseparable.

    The air is filled with a windsong, and they stay awake until the morning sun overtakes the night sky.

  • A Million Suns
    "The void is calling out; Don't look, just hold my hand"

    The next morning, Alhena insists Orion must meet her family. She remarks that her mother will be tending the garden at this time.

    They rush to Alhena’s small abode, where she introduces Orion to her mother. Alhena is ignored. She incredulously tries again.

    Nothing.

    She goes to her sister and brother, and asks with frustration why their mother is ignoring her. In turn, her siblings also ignore her. Panic sets in.

    She runs to a neighbor and tries to get his attention. Still no response. She goes to push some sense into him, but her hand goes into his shoulder effortlessly. Not expecting the lack of resistance, Alhena falls forward, passing completely through the person in front of her.

    She turns to Orion with confusion, and an understanding sweeps across him—he didn’t survive the crash landing and she’s just a casualty of war. Surprisingly, there’s no sting to this taste of realization, yet sadness fills his eyes. With a sombered gait, he goes to help Alhena up from the ground.

    After kissing her, Orion looks at Alhena intently. He smiles. “I loved you before this. I’m certain. And I will love you after this. This is temporary. Besides, death is living if it’s with you.”

Chapter V - First Colony (Suite for Two Lovers)

  • Chapter V - First Colony
    Earth; Extrasolar planet, 2193 A.D.

    The world is finally at peace. After the atrocities and mass genocides of World War 3, a new consciousness awakens across the planet. Realizing that a human’s value is inherent in their existence and not their labor output, mankind’s pursuit of money and power above all else finally loses its allure. The shift in humanity's outlook changes its focus from the near future to the distant future.

    Newly constructed in Earth’s orbit, an Interstellar Space Vehicle (ISV), the first of its kind, is currently awaiting its crew to arrive. Once manned, the ISV will take its occupants beyond the influence of the Sun and to new worlds.

  • Three Gods (Movements I-V)
    "Give to them dreams; dreams everlasting"

    With all of humanity now contributing to the universal fragment known as love, the Trihost has an ultimate loss of control. Love has taken its firm grasp over the two lovers Orion and Alhena.

    With determination, they decide that Chaos will be damned. For they are destined to be together, bound as they were in the Beginning.

    In its frustration, The Watcher replays the events of the past 1000 years over and over. Where does love come from? How is it formed? How can it be destroyed? The Taker seems powerless against love's grasp on the two lovers; useless in its assault on the cherished souls.

  • Quarks, Quasars, and Entropy (Movements I-III)
    "And I can see why outside eyes would say that we are so small"

    Orion and Alhena are together, finally, for more than just a moment. Their meeting is irrelevant, for their future is what will define them: to be among the stars.

    An Earthbound team in charge of the ISV mission, plots a course to an extrasolar planet just under 12 light years away.

    Orion and Alhena board a transfer spacecraft, which launches from Earth and carries them to the ISV. With the turbulent ignition of each rocket stage, the lovers look towards each other, realizing that they are finally bound for a shared eternity.

    The transfer craft docks with the ISV flawlessly. As they board the new ship, and plan to leave Earth behind forever, they realize they'll be starting anew in a distant solar system. After a week of preparation and receiving crew and colonists, the ISV's engines fire up.

    Over the next month, the ISV’s speed increases to just fractions away from the speed of light. And for the next 13 years, the crew and colonists will sleep artificially in a state of suspension, being awoken at regular intervals to promote cellular health.

    With the advent of Quantum Communication, no longer is there a delay in transmissions, and thus, Earth will be able to monitor (and control, if need be) the ISV’s progress in real-time.

  • Quarks, Quasars, and Entropy (Movement IV: Constellations [Stars II])
    "We're sailing in the stars, we're never coming down"

    The ISV arrives at the Tau Ceti system, one of the Sun’s nearest stellar neighbors, and begins to enter orbit around the planet Tau Ceti f. The ISV orbits the colony's new home for several months, making detailed maps of the surface and analyzing potential landing sites.

    After sufficient planning, Orion, Alhena, and their assembled crew, board a landing shuttle to transport themselves to the first of many potential settlement areas.

    On solid ground, Orion and Alhena look around with optimism as their crew starts to survey the surrounding area, verifying that this location is best to start Earth's first interstellar city. As Alhena cradles her enlarged stomach and the new life within, the two lovers smile at one another.

    Tasked with naming the new settlement, they bestow upon it their unborn child’s namesake: Elnath’s Cradle.

    As they gaze out over the red, grassy fields, and observe the three moons orbiting above in the sky, they embrace, knowing that those living here from now on will be the Children of Orion and Alhena.

Epilogue: Space Sounds

  • Epilogue: Space Sounds
    Interstellar space, Time unknown

    Ignoring the structure of time, an eerie transmission weaves its way through the emptiness of space, coaxing all who will listen.

  • The Ghost Song
    "Time is beyond regret, When your soul is torn"

    A sad lament beckons for closure. Is it simply a ghostly lullaby or a warning?

    The haunting voice cries out that water is above and below and all around, yet it can still sense cold. How does this differ from one who has lost their sight?

    After all, how does a blind man view the world?

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From the bottom of our hearts:
thank you for listening to ATYLS

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