Defender at times pretender at others A mind set, action, and state of being Wether I do good or evil I represent a form of faith and loyalty

Calling me a cross is not wholly incorrect, but I hold more than empty beams - I carry a suffering body and a provocative sign.

I wear the weight of a Roman lie my name still keeps the nine. I sit two before the end though once I stood as ninth in line.

I walked the earth when time was young, Through forests deep and plains I sprung, Though time erased my earthly tread, Whispers remain of what I dread.

Some find me crafted in stone, in written tomes, or beneath the layers of soil. Without me, an individual can toil. Like lines in a beat, I tend to repeat.