[Opening Scene – Rooftop, Nighttime]
On a rooftop, a man with crimson eyes that shine at with moon light and black dreads that flow with the wind,sits at the edge. He doesn't move, but his breathing mixes with the whispering night wind. He watches the city below—lights blinking, cars crawling, sirens distant hes name is Akitaka Rinne
He sighs, stands, and starts walking toward the stairwell.
Narration:
A thousand years ago, humanity changed. It wasn't better. It wasn't worse. Just… different.
People began awakening.
Abilities. Weapons. Their Truth.
When someone awakens, their Truth manifests into something called an Echo.
It is you. A reflection of your soul, your concept made real.
Some never awaken at all. But those who do… walk one of two paths—light or ruin.
And when an Echo is rejected—when someone fails to accept their Truth—they deform. They twist. They become monsters.
Echo Monsters.
And all they do… is consume.
[Scene – City Streets]
The Akitaka walks through the crowded city streets. Neon lights glow. Music plays from stores. Life moves, unaware.
Suddenly, every screen—from massive billboards to phones—flashes red.
Emergency Broadcast (Text & Audio):
"This is not a drill. An Echo Monster is on the loose in Sector 7. Evacuate immediately. This is not a drill."
Panic begins. People scream. Some run. Others freeze.
But Akitaka—he doesn't even look up. He just keeps walking, his footsteps calm amid the chaos.
[Scene – The Encounter]
A tear forms in the air. From it, something massive and grotesque crawls out.
Twisted limbs. A face that was once human. Its eyes burn with hunger—it's an Echo Monster, and it's starving.
The crowd screams. People scatter.
But not Akitaka.
He keeps walking.
The creature begins slaughtering—slicing through bystanders like paper. Blood sprays. Lives end. The city becomes a massacre zone.
Akitaka walks forward, through it all, as if none of it touches him.
And then… the monster sees him.
It lets out a gurgled shriek and lunges forward—fast, savage.
Akitaka stops.
He turns his head slightly.
Still no fear. No anger. No emotion.
The monster's claw pierces straight through his chest.
[Scene – Impact: Silence After Death]
The claw slides clean through his chest.
No scream. No wide eyes. Just… silence.
Blood pours down his shirt. The monster snarls behind him, its breath hot and putrid.
Narration (Aritaka's thoughts):
Warm.
Didn't expect it to feel warm.
Everything's… slowing down.
Guess this is it.
I should feel something, right? Anger? Fear? Pain?
But all I feel is…
The world dims. Sound fades. His body crumples to the ground.
[Scene – The Echo Void]
Aritaka opens his eyes, but he's no longer in the city.
He's standing—somehow—in an endless black space. A void without walls or gravity. Silence.
Until…
Two figures form before him. One glows like sunlight through leaves—her eyes kind and steady. The other is a tall silhouette, bones wrapped in shadow, with hollow eyes and a quiet presence.
They speak at the same time, like opposite notes of the same chord.
???:
"You died."
"And yet… you remain."
Aritaka: (frowning slightly)
"…This death thing's overrated."
The glowing figure steps forward.
She bows her head.
???:
"I am Ikari—your Echo of Life."
The shadowed figure follows.
His voice rumbles like distant thunder.
???:
"And I am Shikaku—your Echo of Death."
Ikari:
"You are Balance—caught between the end and the beginning."
Shikaku:
"And so you cannot pass on."
Aritaka:
"…Cool. So now what?"
They both raise their hands.
Suddenly, a sharp pain burns across Aritaka's chest. A glowing mark carves itself into his skin—like a tattoo forged from light and shadow.
Beneath him, a long, black-and-white katana forms in the void, its blade humming. It's not cold metal—it's alive, pulsing like a heartbeat.
Ikari (softly):
"This is your Truth. Your weapon. Your will made form."
Shikaku:
"Only you may wield it. And it will grow as you do."
[Scene – Return]
Aritaka gasps—eyes snap open.
He's back in the city. His body stands upright in the crater of his blood. The wound is gone. The monster senses something has changed.
His right hand raises. The katana manifests in a surge of Echo energy—half-light, half-dark.
The monster screeches and charges again.
Aritaka:
"You should've made sure I stayed dead."
With one swift motion, he slashes.
The katana absorbs the monster's Echo instead of cutting it—the beast twists, screams, and then implodes into a burst of black dust.
The street falls silent. Blood, ruin, and him.
Everyone watching is frozen. Shocked. Saved. Terrified.
Aritaka turns. Walks away.
Narration (final):
"I died. But death wasn't the end.
It was just the first step toward balance."