[Scene 1 — Arrival at the Front]
(The column of Ninzi crosses the stone cliffs, the clouds are swirling. In the first row walks Captain Amon - big, with a scar over his eye. Behind him, between the rows, three young people: Arden, Rin and Taro.)
Tarot
(quietly, looking at the fog-covered horizon)
"They said the sky never cleared here again...
...as if it too is crying for those who have fallen."
Rin
(tightens the mask over her face, her voice trembles)
"They say that the San River flows over hundreds of bodies.
If you look too long — you see the faces of those who disappeared."
(He looks at Arden, who is walking calmly in front of them. His Shadow mask glints slightly in the torchlight.)
Rin (quieter):
"Ardene… or, Vex…
Aren't you afraid?"
Arden
(coldly, without hesitation)
"Fear doesn't change the outcome.
It just slows down the hand."
Taro:
"But you're… different from us.
How can you watch all this and remain calm?"
Arden (slowly):
"War doesn't seek feelings.
Only survivors."
*(Rin looks down. Taro clenches his fist but says nothing. Silence lasts as the column crosses the last ridge and in the distance the tent camp—Mayor Minato's headquarters—can be seen.)
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[Scene 2 — Camp on the banks of the River San]
(The camera pans across the camp: hundreds of Ninja gathered around a fire, weapons sharpened, tents full of wounded. The sound of wind mingles with silent prayers.)
(Arden, Rin, and Taro enter the camp. A red seal hangs from the central tent—the sign of Mayor Minato, commander of the Hundred Ninzi.)
Rin (whispering):
"It's him… Mayor Minato.
They say he fought the battle of Gravion alone against a whole company."
Taro (with a nervous laugh):
"If that's true, then we're just ashes that walk..."
(Arden doesn't look back. He just keeps walking, until a low, husky voice comes from the darkness behind them.)
??? (from the shadows):
"Vex."
(The three turn abruptly. Behind them stands a figure in the black uniform of the Shadow—mask like a black fox, eyes without reflection.)
Shadow:
"Mayor Minato is calling you.
It's time."
(Rin and Taro look at each other for a moment, visibly scared. Arden just nods, tightens the strap on his mask slightly, and walks towards the tent.)
(Rin stops him quietly, her voice shaking.)
Rin:
"Arden… when this is all over…
do you think we can go back to the way we were?"
(Arden pauses, looks over her shoulder.)
Arden:
"No.
War brings nothing back.
It just takes."
Scene 2
(Silence. Footsteps echo as he enters Mayor Minato's tent. Camera lingers on Rin and Tara — both looking lost, prematurely mature.)
"They were only fifteen years old..."
"…and they were already stepping into the hell called the War of the Elements."
(Silence in the camp. The rain gently patters the tents. Inside, candlelight casts a shadow on the face of a man studying a map. Armor of metal and leather, hands stained with ash. It is Mayor Minato Dalis, age 20 — a veteran from the first day of the war.)
(The entrance moves. Arden—now known as Vex—enters quietly, fox mask on his face, footsteps almost silent.)
Minato (without looking up):
"So… you're the new Shadow?"
(Arden stands still.)
Arden:
"Vex.
I was sent by Captain Amon to take orders, sir."
(Minato smiles briefly, but with sadness. He looks at him for the first time — sharp eyes recognize what others would not.)
Minato:
"You think you can fool me...?"
(pause)
"Take off your mask, Arden."
(Silence. Arden slowly raises his hand and removes his mask. The face is expressionless, but the eyes—they hold a world of pain.)
Minato (quietly, with a smile):
"How you've grown… bro."
(Brief silence. Arden looks down just slightly, the edge of his lips moving into an imperceptible smile.)
Arden (calmly):
"I didn't think you'd recognize me, Commander."
Minato:
"It is impossible to forget our father's eyes.
They have the same flame. It's just... yours is cooler."
(Minato gets up, opens a small box and takes out two cigars. He tosses one to Arden. They both light up. Smoke rises, mixes with rain dripping down the tent canvas.)
Minato:
"Do you remember… the last time we were together?"
Arden (slowly):
"Ten years. You were at the door, dressed in red."
You said you were going to 'defend the world'."
(Minato nods, smiles bitterly.)
Minato:
"The world…
I didn't know that defending would mean — watching everything die."
(Brief silence. The rain intensifies. Arden looks into the candle flame.)
Minato (softer):
"How is mother?
I haven't received messages in years."
(Arden holds his breath for a moment. His gaze goes blank.)
Arden:
"She died.
Three years ago. Of the plague."
(Minato freezes. Cigarette smoke catches in his throat.)
Minato:
"...Plague?"
Arden (quietly):
"Yes.
No one remained in Solinaris to help her.
She went quietly, without light and without prayer."
(Minato closes his eyes, lowers his head. He is silent for a long time. Arden just stands — no blink, no emotion.)
Minato (hoarsely):
"So… it's just the two of us now."
Arden:
"War takes everything.
In the end, only names and ashes remain."
(Silence. Only the rain and the distant rumble of thunder are heard.)
Minato:
"Still… good to see you, brother.
Even if the world is on fire."
(Arden looks at him briefly. Something flickers in his eyes—a memory, maybe sadness, maybe just a reflection of fire.)
Arden (cold but with depth):
"The sky is burning, the earth is cracking… but we are still breathing.
This means that the war is not over yet."
(Minato smiles, bitterly.)
Minato:
"And that there is still hope."
(The camera moves away — through the opening of the tent you can see the rain and fog of the San River. Two brothers, separated by war, sit in silence, the smoke disappears into the night.)
"In an unforgiving world — sometimes the memory of family is the last thing that makes you human."
(Inside Mayor Minato's tent. Cigar smoke still hangs in the air, a map of the Dream River is on the table. The rain is falling harder, the footsteps of the guards are heard outside. Arden (Vex) stands by the table, in silence.)
(Suddenly, the entrance curtain moves. Captain Amon enters the tent—a large, scarred warrior, his cloak soaked with rain. His gaze sharp, authoritative.)
Amon:
"Minato."
(He nods briefly, salutes without formality.)
Minato (calmly):
"Captain Amon... it seems war knows no time or face."
Amon (coldly):
"It never did.
I brought back reconnaissance reports. Enemy forces have crossed the northern slope."
(He places the map on the table—muddy, marked with red markers.)
Amon:
"Here—at the old bridge. Their camp numbers nearly a thousand.
If we attack them head-on, there will be slaughter."
(Minato leans back on the table, his gaze calm but determined.)
Minato:
"That's why we won't go directly.
We're setting up an ambush. 400 on the left bank, 300 on the right.
The rest—the Shadow—are going underwater, through the fog."
(Amon looks at the map, nods.)
Amon:
"The risk is enormous. If they discover us before the signal, we lose everything."
Minato:
"That's why I asked for the Shadow.
That's why you sent him to me."
(He looks at Arden. Amon looks back briefly, the same way, the look of a warrior who knows who he's facing.)
Amon (coldly):
"Vex has survived training that most haven't.
He doesn't make mistakes."
(Arden then, wordlessly, slowly picks up the mask from the table. He runs his fingers over the cold surface. Just as Amon and Minato begin discussing the plan, he gently picks it up and places it over his face.)
(Camera close-up — candle flame reflected in mask. Voices in background.)
Minato:
"If the ambush succeeds, this could be the end of five years of hell."
Ammon:
"And if it doesn't work — just another graveyard in the mud."
(Silence. Arden stands behind them, a mask on his face. He does not speak. He is the Shadow—a weapon, not a brother.)
(Minato looks at him briefly.)
Minato (to himself, quietly):
"Yet… under that mask… you're still my brother."
(Amon takes the map and exits, while Minato remains alone, watching after him. Arden stands for a few seconds, then turns and exits without a word. The sound of rain increases.)
"When war demands a soul — the Shadow answers without question."
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