MORNING – VILLAGE SQUARE
The crowd gathers. Survivors, duelists, mentors. Faces pale with fear. The arena is still broken, stained with ash.
A tall man in golden armor steps onto a platform—HEAD OF THE EVENT, his face grave.
HEAD OF EVENT:
Due to the attack during the Trials...
This year's Sword Trials are officially cancelled.
Murmurs of shock and disappointment rise.
HEAD OF EVENT:
Thirty-five participants are still missing.
Twenty-three... confirmed dead.
Silence. A heavy weight presses over everyone. Some cry. Some bow their heads. Some glare at the sky.
SUDDENLY – THE SKY GLOWS
A golden light descends from above. Wings spread like halos. A radiant figure lands barefoot at the center of the town square.
❖ NAME: LYCEUM, THE DIVINE GUARDIAN
He wears only a white cloth around his waist. His body—flawless, celestial. Eyes like sunlight.
Everyone shields their eyes.
LYCEUM (gently):
Do not fear.
This town... will be protected.
From this day forward, no darkness will touch your gates again.
ACROSS THE CROWD – A VOICE LAUGHS SOFTLY
A woman with a flowing crimson-and-gold gown steps forward, her long black hair sweeping like fire. On her back—The Red Phoenix Sword, glowing faintly.
❖ NAME: EMPRESS NYARI – 4th CLASS SWORDSMAN
NYARI:
So even the heavens send their shirtless saints now?
Lyceum smiles faintly.
NYARI:
Welcome, Winged One. This village will breathe easier under your light.
She unsheathes her majestic sword—the blade pulsing like burning feathers.
NYARI:
But don't think you're the only power left on this soil.
The crowd stirs. Even Gojiro raises an eyebrow.
LATER – UNDER A TREE
Shin-Ri sits with Riku and Maen, still trying to process everything.
RIKU:
First a soul-devouring demon.
Now a glowing angel and a phoenix lady.
SHIN-RI:
The world's bigger than I thought...
MAEN (fidgeting):
...So, uh. I have something to say.
They look at her.
MAEN:
I have a power. It's... weird.
RIKU:
Weird how?
SHIN-RI:
Like "talks to ghosts" weird or "explodes when sneezing" weird?
MAEN:
No! I just... my arms are fast. Like... stupid fast.
RIKU:
...Fast arms?
SHIN-RI:
What—like, swinging fast?
MAEN:
No, like... really fast.
She suddenly slaps Riku's shoulder three times before he can blink.
RIKU (frozen):
What the—?!
SHIN-RI (gagging):
You're a blender.
MAEN:
I've always had it. My parents said I was "touched by the god of speed."
I thought it was useless until I picked up a sword.
DISCUSSION – POWERFUL SWORDS
RIKU:
The Empress's sword glowed.
Like it was alive.
SHIN-RI:
I heard some swords... give power.
Not just cut—but change the person.
MAEN:
Yeah. They call them "Awakened Blades."
But they're rare. Most never find one.
RIKU:
So a sword chooses its wielder?
SHIN-RI:
Or maybe it waits...
...until its wielder becomes something worth choosing.
They fall silent, the wind brushing through the leaves above them.
ELSEWHERE – GOJIRO AND SYLDEN
Gojiro watches Lyceum floating atop a bell tower.
GOJIRO:
He's powerful.
SYLDEN:
Too powerful.
People worship what they don't understand.
That's how false gods are born.
GOJIRO:
What about Shin-Ri?
SYLDEN:
The boy's soul was cracked...
Now it's filling with something sharp.
GOJIRO:
Is that good?
SYLDEN:
That depends on what breaks next.
EVENING – SMALL CAMPFIRE
Daiso sits nearby, polishing his blade. Maen, Riku, and Shin-Ri huddle closer. The stars above seem cold.
SHIN-RI:
Daiso.
What did you see... in the shadows?
DAISO:
Things that whisper before they move.
Things that don't bleed.
Things that remember your name before you say it.
MAEN:
Why keep going?
DAISO:
Because every village they take...
is another grave that didn't need to exist.
SUDDENLY – DAISO'S EYES GLOW
A flicker—silver, like before. This time longer.
RIKU:
There! Again! Your eyes!
MAEN:
What is it?! Tell us!
Daiso blinks. The glow fades.
DAISO (quietly):
It's nothing.
He walks off. Shin-Ri stares after him.
SHIN-RI (V.O.):
Everyone has something they carry.
A glow. A scar. A sword...
Some just hide it better than others.
TO BE CONTINUED...