[COLD OPEN – SKYVAULT CITY, REBORN]
A golden sunrise spills across a city that just weeks ago was cracked in crystal. SkyVault breathes again. Cranes lift new towers. Laughing children run through the Memorial Garden. The world begins to hope.
INT. VAN HQ – COMMAND ROOM (REBUILT)
The Vanguard stands together, scarred but smiling. A new display wall glows behind them — brighter, cleaner. Mira's shard now sits in a glass case, glowing faintly.
Kael: We did it. SkyVault lives.
Tari: Barely. But yeah… we did it.
Jax: We fought gods. And we're still standing.
Echo-7: (smiling) With 57% operational damage across sectors… that's impressive.
They laugh. Yuna places a hand gently on Mira's shard.
Yuna: We keep the Oath. Even when it hurts.
[SCENE – TRAINING BAY]
A figure flips, spins, and lands hard in the center of the new training arena. She wears tactical black — sleek, agile, and deadly. Twin pistols holstered, multiple knives, eyes sharp as obsidian.
NAME: VEYA NIGHT
Codename: Widowlight
Background: Former black-ops soldier from Earth's covert intelligence division. Specializes in close-quarter takedowns, rapid-fire precision, and infiltration.
Personality: Cool under fire, sharp-tongued, emotionally guarded. A tactician with zero tolerance for failure.
Veya: (loading guns) I heard you lost two. I'm not a replacement. Just reinforcement.
Kael: We're not looking to replace anyone. But if you're here to fight — fight beside us, not above us.
Veya: (smirking) Copy that… Oathfire.
[SCENE – STREET PARADE / SKYVAULT CELEBRATION]
Thousands fill the streets. Holograms of the Vanguard flicker above. Floating petals rain down. A massive banner reads: "TO THE KEEPERS OF THE OATH."
Yuna and Kael wave from a hover-float. Children hand them flowers. Fireworks ignite.
CROWD: VANGUARD! VANGUARD!
Tari: (to Jax) I thought we'd be mourned. Not worshipped.
Jax: Give it time. People heal… and they remember the ones who fought for them.
Echo-7: Statistically, 83% of human culture is built on narrative legacy. You are now symbols.
Veya: (watching) Let's just hope symbols can still shoot.
[SCENE – NIGHTFALL RESTAURANT]
A warm, lantern-lit establishment with ivy-covered walls and an open rooftop garden. The team walks in. Applause erupts. At the head of the kitchen, arms wide, stands a large, joyful man with a golden chef's coat.
NAME: CHEF MALRO
Former culinary specialist during the SkyVault defense force.
Now a full-time chef who provides free food to anyone wearing the Oath crest.
Chef Malro: (booming) MY HEROES! You survived demons, monsters, and bureaucracy! And now… you survive flavor!
He unveils trays of glowing dumplings, spicy noodles, galactic shrimp platters, and floating dessert cubes.
Tari: (laughing) I've died and gone to dinner.
Jax: Malro… marry me.
Chef Malro: Only if you can finish the Nightfall Firecake!
[DINNER SCENE – LAUGHTER, MEMORY, HEART]
Veya sits in the corner, observing, slowly warming up to the others.
Kael gives a toast: "To those who fell. And those who stood back up."
Echo-7 projects a hologram of Niko dancing badly.
Yuna quietly places a small flower crown on Mira's shard, now with them at the table.
Yuna: We bring her everywhere.
Tari: Because she's still part of the Oath.
Veya: (raising glass) To the ones who made us fight harder.
[POST-DINNER — NIGHT SKY ROOFTOP]
The team lies back, full and quiet, looking at the stars.
Kael: What now?
Yuna: We train. We rebuild. We stay ready.
Veya: And we make sure nothing like Shard ever happens again.
Echo-7: Signals are clean. No more threats.
Jax: (yawning) Let's not jinx it.
[SLOW PAN UP TO SKY – PEACEFUL, FOR NOW]
Soft music plays. The Oath glows on the HQ rooftop.
[CLOSING SCENE – INT. MIRA'S SHARD]
Darkness. Then light. Inside the crystal, a flicker of movement. A pulse. A whisper.
Mira (soft): Kael…?
[TO BE CONTINUED]