NIGHT – TEMPLE RUINS OUTSIDE TOWN
A cracked stone gateway stands buried in vines. Ancient symbols glow red as Sylden lifts his hand and chants softly.
SYLDEN:
By the blood of the first fallen...
Open the way to shadow.
The stones grind open, revealing a swirling black-red portal.
SHIN-RI:
Kazu's in there?
SYLDEN:
If he's still alive.
MAEN (gulping):
Then let's go get him.
The three step into the portal—disappearing into the void.
CUT TO – THE UNDERWORLD
Fire and fog everywhere. Demonic towers scrape the skies. Rivers of ash run beneath bridges made of bone.
Kazu lies chained in a glowing demon prison cell. Claw marks stretch across the walls. Demons snarl from outside.
DEMON GUARD (hissing):
You shouldn't have come here, boy.
KAZU (gritting teeth):
I didn't come to die.
You'll regret not killing me now.
ELSEWHERE IN THE UNDERWORLD – SYLDEN'S GROUP ARRIVES
The trio lands in a scorched alleyway. Shadows ripple on the walls. The scent of rot and fire clings to the air.
MAEN (gagging):
This place smells like regret and feet.
SYLDEN (grimly):
Don't get distracted. The shadows here... watch.
SHIN-RI (tense):
Which way?
Suddenly—a creature lunges!
SHADOW BEAST with stitched wings shrieks and claws at them. It's fast—too fast.
But Maen vanishes for a split-second—
WHAP! WHAP! WHAP!
Three clean strikes. The creature collapses in a heap of mist.
SHIN-RI (blinking):
Did you just—
MAEN (smirking):
Told you my arms were fast.
CUT TO – DEEP IN THE UNDERWORLD
Daiso walks slowly through a burning plaza, shadows parting for him. His eyes glow faintly again.
He stops at an altar carved from obsidian. A twisted sword lies embedded in the center. It pulses with whispers.
WHISPERING VOICES (in unison):
Daiso... take us...
DAISO (softly):
The world above forgot... but I remember.
He grips the hilt. Shadow tendrils coil around his arm.
VOICE OF THE BLADE:
We are the gate. We are the hunger.
He pulls it free—revealing the Underblade, a blackened weapon dripping smoke.
MEANWHILE – SHIN-RI, MAEN, AND SYLDEN WALK THROUGH THE DEMON TOWN
Strange vendors hiss at them. Screaming souls hang in cages. Demons whisper in forgotten tongues.
A cloaked figure limps from a dark alley, wearing a wide hat made of teeth.
❖ NAME: GRIN, THE CURSED SWORDSMITH
GRIN (raspy):
You don't belong here, lightwalkers...
But perhaps... a sword will help you blend in.
He reveals three weapons—each locked inside bone glass cases. They whisper, twitch, and shiver.
GRIN:
These blades come with power...
And a price.
The trio hesitates. One sword pulses red toward Shin-Ri.
WHISPER (only he hears):
I know your name...
SHIN-RI (steps back):
No. Not this way.
CUT TO – KAZU'S PRISON
Chains rattle. He strains against them. A guard walks by, taunting him.
DEMON GUARD:
You'll be useful... once you forget your name.
Kazu grits his teeth. Something inside him begins to pulse. His blade, discarded nearby, glows faintly.
KAZU (V.O.):
I'm not done.
Not until I prove I'm more than pride.
He screams—and the chain shatters slightly. His eyes glow red for a split second.
ELSEWHERE – SYLDEN FEELS IT
SYLDEN:
Someone just awakened.
MAEN:
Kazu?
SHIN-RI:
Then we're running out of time.
SHIN-RI (V.O.):
Down here, swords whisper lies.
Demons wear faces.
Even your own shadow... might betray you.
But I'm not turning back.
Not until I drag Kazu—and the truth—out of the fire.
TO BE CONTINUED...