I
INT. THE ARK – SHATTERED HULL – NIGHT
The Ark quakes under Kwame Oba's fists. His hammer blaze molten red, every strike rippling through the stone with thunder. Shadows scatter in the tremors. Survivors raise their weapons again, hope flickering in their eyes.
But the Sigils are unbroken.
Druval charges through the quake, chains snapping like whips. His laughter shakes the ceiling. Beside him, Mawreth thrashes, its coils smashing stone apart, dragging men and women screaming into its maw.
Across the field, Nyxira spreads her silence, shadows crawling like rivers, shaping themselves into twisted doubles of the survivors.
Narration: 56 still stood. But hope in Hell was fragile.
INT. THE ARK – SPLINTERED CORRIDOR – SAME TIME
The ground splits beneath a survivor. Stone crumbles, and he plunges into the black.
Arven sees the fall, his hand reaching out — too far.
Dust and silence swallow the figure whole. No voice calls back.
Narration: They were not only dying. They were being divided.
INT. THE ARK – MAIN HULL
Dimitri Dunyasha duels Druval, sword flashing against chains. Each blow rattles his bones, blood dripping from his mouth, but he refuses to fall.
Druval (roaring): More! Harder! Give me your spine!
Dimitri (through clenched teeth): You'll choke on it.
Mawreth lashes behind him, coils slamming down. Dimitri dives clear, blade skimming ichor across its hide.
The worm lunges again — but tremors crack the floor.
Then someone came
Kwame's thunder hurls Mawreth sideways, breaking its rhythm. Dimitri's blade carves across its flesh before it recovers. For the first time, the worm reels.
INT. THE ARK – CENTRAL HALL – SAME TIME
Arven and Grace clash against Nyxira's shadows. Their own reflections stalk them, blades raised.
Grace (straining): She's killing us with ourselves—
Arven (snarling): Then we cut through ourselves first!
Chains of silence lash around Arven's throat, dragging him forward toward Nyxira's pale eyes. His knees buckle.
A shockwave rips through the floor. The chains snap.
Arven gasps, the silence cracked just long enough for air to burn in his lungs. He looks across far from the field — Kwame, molten light blazing from his hammer, raises a hand in defiance.
Kwame: Stand! Fight! She cannot silence us all!
For a moment, the survivors roar voicelessly, their spirits louder than Nyxira's silence.
INT. THE ARK – FRONTLINES – LATER
Lyra Mei cuts through the dark. Her blade flashes with every strike, slashing shadows apart, pulling comrades back from death. She moves like fire in the stillness, unyielding.
A young fighter stumbles, his broken spear useless, his shadow bearing down with a killing blade.
Lyra doesn't hesitate.
Lyra Mei: Move!
She throws herself between him and the strike.
The shadow's blade drives through her chest. Her body jerks, blood pouring down her front. Her sword slips from her hand.
Grace whirls, eyes wide.
Grace (silent scream): Lyra!
Arven rushes forward, catching her as her knees buckle. Her eyes find his. Her lips move faintly, whispering words he cannot hear in Nyxira's silence. Her hand trembles against his arm, then falls limp.
Her body falls still.
Narration: 56 remained. And with her, the fight lost more than steel. It lost a heart.
INT. THE ARK – AFTERMATH – CONTINUOUS
The battle rages still. Druval's laughter booms, Mawreth writhes, Nyxira spreads her silence.
But the survivors falter, eyes burning, blades trembling. Grace stares at Lyra's fallen form. Kwame's glow flickers as he grits his teeth, fury rising. Arven's arms are stained crimson, holding her as though refusing to let go.
Narration (closing):
The Ark demanded blood. And on this night, it had claimed Lyra Mei.
To be continued...