Chapter 1: War Council
Shot 1:
(A view from above of a vast hall. The walls pulse with red light. Flames cast shadows on armor.)
Narration:
"In the heart of Solinaris, the Empire that never sleeps… those who bear the fate of the world meet."
Shot 2:
(The Fire Lord stands before a table, holding a spear whose tip burns with blue flame.)
Rhaegar Solis:
"The Third Elemental War has begun. Borders mean nothing anymore. Our enemies gather along the River San."
Shot 3:
(Lord Kael slams his fist on the table, stone shatters.)
Kael Ignis:
"Let them crumble under our fire! Let us send all our troops!"
Varin Pyros:
"No. If we send all — we become vulnerable. We must ambush them."
Frame 4:
(Rhaegar raises his hand. Silence.)
Rhaegar Solis:
"Varin is right.A shadow attack.
800 warriors will cross the San River and set fire to the enemy line before dawn."
Frame 5:
(Everyone nods their heads, except one — Eugen Dalis, quietly, thoughtfully looking at the map.)
Lady Sera Veyra:
"Eugene… your son. He's 15, right?"
Rhaegar Solis:
"Yes. It is time for him to tread the path of the Shadow."
Frame 6:
(Eugen looks up. Silence. The camera focuses on his eyes — a mixture of pride and pain.)
Eugene Dalis:
"…I understand, Master. If it is the will of the Flame, so be it."
Frame 7:
(Draven Korr laughs, mockingly.)
Draven Korr:
"The Shadow Child? May the flames consume him before he shames us."
(Magnus Dorran looks at Draven coldly.)
Magnus:
"Silence, boy. If you had half his potential, you wouldn't be sitting, but standing with the Master."
Frame 8:
(Rhaegar stands in front of Eagen, puts his hand on his shoulder.)
Rhaegar Solis:
"Eugene, your son is as cold as ice and as hot as fire.
Such do not choose — they are born of the Shadow."
Narration (loud, slow):
"And so, one boy's fate is sealed in flames… a fate that will one day set the very heavens on fire."
Scene 2
Location: the edge of Solinaris, the road leading to Shadow Fortress. Evening. The air smells of smoke and ash. The drums of war are heard in the distance.)
Three silhouettes walk along a narrow road, lit by a red sky.
Characters:
• Arden Dalis — 15 years old, quiet, almost mute. His gaze emptier than the ashes under his feet.
• Rin Sairen — his best friend, lively and unruly, always with a cigarette in his mouth.
• Taro Lian — the quieter of the two, rational and loyal, often trying to defuse tensions.
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Frame 1:
(The three characters walk down a narrow path, the wind blows the ashes. Rin lights a cigarette, offers it to Arden.)
Rin:
"I heard today… Shadow, huh? You? From all of us."
(Arden doesn't answer. His eyes are fixed on the horizon, where flames are lighting up the sky.)
Tarot:
"It's no ordinary task, Rin.
They do not return those whom they send."
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Frame 2:
(Rin shivers, then laughs through the smoke.)
Rin:
"So what? Arden never knew fear, did he?
Remember when he stood alone against three of the Lightning Clan? He didn't even blink."
(Taro looks down.)
Tarot:
"Maybe because he doesn't know what it means to lose someone."
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Frame 3:
(Silence. Arden stops. Camera on his eyes—cold, but a small spark of sadness flickers deep inside.)
Arden (quietly):
"Fear… is not something that goes away.
That's something I've never had."
(Rin and Taro look at him. No one knows what to say.)
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Frame 4:
(The wind picks up. From a nearby hill, Shadow Castle can be seen—a black fortress with flaming towers.)
Rin:
"You know… when they move you there, we won't see you again.
They say that those in the Shadow forget everything — names, family, and even… themselves."
Arden:
"That might be better."
(Pauses. Looks at them.)
Arden:
"When you are a flame… everything you love burns with you."
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Frame 5:
(Rin throws the cigarette on the ground, stomps on it angrily.)
Rin:
"Nonsense! You're not just a flame, Arden.
You are the man! And if you ever forget who you are — we'll remind you."
(Taro gives him a small smile.)
Tarot:
"If you survive to the end of the war, I owe you a serving of ramen soup. The one with double the meat."
(Arden laughs, barely noticeable—for the first time in the entire chapter.)
Arden:
"If I survive… I celebrate."
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Frame 6:
(The camera pans out. The three silhouettes continue to walk down a path that leads into darkness.
In the background of the narration — deep voice, wistful tone.)
Narration:
"That day, the wind carried the ashes as if it knew what was coming.
And behind every step of the young warrior... the light of childhood was extinguished."
Scene 3
(Place: the edge of Solinaris, the road to Shadow Fortress. Evening. The sky burns in shades of red, and the drums of war can be heard in the distance.)
Three young ninjas walk along an ash-lined path. Rin lights a cigarette and offers it to Arden, while Taro stares silently ahead.
________________________________________
Frame 1:
(Rin with a smile on her face.)
Rin:
"I heard… Shadow. You, of all of us, you?
When does it start, huh?"
(Arden is silent. His gaze blank but calm. In the distance, the flames of Solinaris cast a red light across his face.)
Tarot:
"It's no honor, Rin. It's the road of no return."
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Frame 2:
(Rin blows away the smoke and laughs bitterly.)
Rin:
"Well, let there be no turning back. If anyone can survive that, it's Arden."
(Taro looks down.)
Tarot:
"Surviving and living are not the same..."
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Frame 3:
(Arden stops, looks at them both. Silence.)
Arden (quietly):
"Maybe it's better that way.
When you are part of the flame… everything you love burns before you."
(Rin laughs, but his gaze trembles.)
Rin:
"Then let them all burn—except the three of us."
(Camera: a slight smile on Arden's face. Silence.)
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Frame 4:
(Sound of metal. Something moves in the shadows behind them. The wind dies down. The smoke from RINO's cigarette hangs in the air.)
(A silhouette emerges from the darkness — a tall figure in black armor, with a fox mask glowing faintly with red lines around the edges.)
Narration:
"Out of the shadow… comes a shadow."
(Rin and Taro instinctively step back. Arden remains still.)
Scene 4
(Location: Training arena inside the Shadow Fortress, deep beneath Solinaris. The walls are black, the floor hardened volcanic glass.
Silence—except for the sound of flames burning in rings around the arena.)
In the center of the arena—Arden Dalis, his fox mask slightly cracked, his eyes cold as glass.
Around him, four Shadow operatives in black armor, each with a different fighting style.
On the gallery above, in the darkness, four senior Shadow members watch silently.
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Shot 1:
(The sound of metal as the door closes. Silence.)
Voice from the darkness (supervisor):
"The test begins. No mercy. Only he who survives the Shadow — becomes the Shadow."
(The operatives disperse into a circle. Arden calmly lowers his hand to his katana.)
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Shot 2:
(The first operative — tall, massive — charges head-on, with a double-edged weapon.)
Narration:
"The first strike — raw power."
(Arden doesn't move an inch as the blade shines toward him. At the last moment, he moves his head to the side—the blade passes his mask.)
(The air trembles. The katana lights up with red flame.)
SFX: "Ksssht"
(In one move — horizontal. The operative stops… and then the knees give way. The armor is cut in half.)
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Frame 3:
(The other two charge at the same time—one with a chain, the other with kunai knives. Arden steps forward without hesitation.)
Narration:
"Second and third — speed and deception."
(Arden uses his own flames to deflect the chain, then steps through the smoke and disappears from view.
Suddenly—he appeared behind them. A short elbow strike, then the blade pierces the air.)
(The two fall, the smoke still billowing.)
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Frame 4:
(Fourth operative — female, with dual daggers and fire technique.)
She:
"You won't fool me like they did."
(Arden turns the katana slowly, wordlessly. In his gaze — emptiness.
She slashes at him with a flame, but Arden extinguishes the fire with his own touch—the flame retreats as if it recognizes him.)
(Camera zooms in — her eyes widen in shock.)
She (to herself):
"He…the flame listens to him?"
(In a moment of weakness—Arden moves, the katana cuts through the air, then silence.)
(She falls, breathless, and the katana is sheathed in one precise movement.)
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Shot 5:
(On the gallery above—four Shadow observers in black cloaks. Their faces are not visible.)
Operational 1 (deep voice):
"No hesitation.
No fear. No emotion."
Operational 2:
"His precision… it's not learned. It's instinct."
Operational 3:
"No, it's a curse."
(The fourth observer, the quietest of them all, speaks slowly.)
Operational 4:
"A flame chooses no master.
But this boy… maybe it's a flame itself."
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Frame 6:
(Camera pans back to Arden.
He stands alone in the middle of the arena, five bodies lying around him.
The flame from his fingers slowly extinguishes itself.)
Narration:
"Cold, calm, perfect.
A warrior without a heart.
And while others saw the fighter — he felt emptiness for the first time."
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Frame 7:
(A shadow descends from the darkness and approaches Arden.)
Shadow:
"Test completed"
(Arden stares straight ahead, his eyes dull. He nods slightly.)
Arden:
"…Understood."
(Pauses. Quietly, to himself.)
Arden (mental):
"If this means peace… then let the whole world burn."
Scene 5
Arena of Shadows, after the fight. The ground is still smoking, the operatives' bodies are being carried in silence. Arden stands upright, mask half damaged, gaze cold and blank.)
(In the gallery, four Shadow Captains descend from the darkness. All wear long black cloaks with a red flame symbol on the shoulder.)
Captain Rhaen:
"He survived. He took down four—without hesitation."
Captain Nero:
"If he had lost just one movement…he would now be a body among them."
(Silence. Arden just stares straight ahead, blood dripping from the edge of his hair. No emotion.)
Captain Walnut:
"Look at him… no tremors, no fear, no remorse."
Captain Sael:
"Cold as ashes.
From this moment on — his name in the Shadow reads…"
(Pauses. He looks at the others, then at Arden.)
Captain Sael (slowly):
"…Vex."
(Silence falls like a stone. Only footsteps echo.)
Captain Nero:
"As of today, you no longer have a face. You have no name."
When someone calls you — Vex answers.
If you die, the Vex disappears. If you survive — the Shadow lives."
(Arden lowers his head, short and firm.)
Arden (calmly):
"Understood, Captain."
Captain Rhaen:
"Remember well, boy… if you'd lost today — you'd be dead.
There is no second chance in the Shadow."
(Pause. Arden looks up, his eyes glowing a faint red tone.)
Arden:
"In the Shadow… death is only the beginning."
(The captains exchange glances — briefly, uneasily — as if for the first time they saw in him something other than man.)