The Hum in the Dark

Mumma, where does that lullaby come from, the one you hum at night?
“That is a sad old story, love, but it isn’t real, all right.”

Once there was a goddess who loved mortals down below,
She bore six sons to guard them all from every creeping foe.

Each evening she would hold them close and hum that wordless tune,
A little sound that told them they were safe beneath her moon.

High above, a wretched god named Bane despised such grace,
One night, while still she softly hummed, he stole them from her place.

He shut them in a twisted maze of cruelty and fear,
The six clung tight and tried to stand, but doom was drawing near.

One slipped into a pool of acid, hissing, cold and green,
One vanished in a lightning flash, burned white and never seen.

One choked on bitter poison gas, one burned in roaring flame,
One froze in jagged shards of ice, five gone without a name.

One boy remained within those halls, his heart one aching scar;
Alone he faced that cruel old god. His name was Malakar.

The shaken boy, now hard inside, dared risk one final game,
He wagered all and somehow won; Tiamat learned his name.

Righteous in his wounded heart, he climbed the halls of light,
But all the shining gods declared his choices foul, not right.

“No good, no evil, only words,” the hardened child declared,
“The games, the pain, the hidden rules show what is truly there.”

He twisted skin and bone to scales, a dragon crowned in hell,
The gentle boy who once loved peace made living feel like a cell.

He plays cruel games on all who live, dares others do the same,
“For what is life,” he softly laughs, “but just a crooked game?”

So much taken from that child, so little of him left,
He ruled with torment, tricks, and fire, of warmth and kindness cleft.

So now you know what tale they tell of the hum I use at night.
Now hush, my love, it’s only myth. Just an old story, all right.