[SCENE: Deep forest. A narrow trail winds between dead trees, their branches clawing the sky. Raen and Lira move cautiously, both weary from their escape.]
LIRA (muttering)
They'll track us through the wind. Exorcist dogs always do.
RAEN
I know.
LIRA (suspicious)
Then why lead them here?
RAEN
I didn't lead them. They follow the mark. Same as yours.
[She stops abruptly. Her eyes narrow.]
LIRA
You talk like we're the same.
[Raen turns slowly. The snow crunches beneath his boots.]
RAEN
Aren't we?
[She says nothing. Her neck glows faintly under the scarf. The curse mark pulses.]
RAEN
I didn't ask for this either.
LIRA
Doesn't matter. You still have it.
[A moment of silence. Then Lira moves on. Raen follows.]
RAEN (V.O.)
Even among the cursed, there's no trust.
[FLASHBACK: A cabin burning. Screams. A girl's silhouette reaching out. Raen as a boy backing away, terrified.]
RAEN (V.O.)
Not after what the Will made me do...
[SCENE: Cut to a frozen river deep in the woods. A dark reflection watches from the water's surface. It doesn't mimic Raen—it moves differently.]
[The reflection grins.]
DEMON VOICE (V.O.)
So close, little heir. Let go, and I'll show you what true freedom feels like.
[Raen flinches. He throws a rock at the water. The image scatters.]
RAEN
No.
[SCENE: Atop a nearby cliff, Kael Drein watches the forest below. He's sharpening his sword. His dyed hair blows in the cold wind.]
BLOOD BLADE (V.O.)
He's there. The Will. So close you could taste him.
KAEL
Heh. Not yet.
[He pulls out a locket. Inside: a portrait of a younger sister.]
KAEL (softly)
You don't get to have peace, Raen—not until I get answers.
[FLASHBACK: Kael's sister screaming. A cursed mark blooming on her chest. The exorcists
surrounding her.
EXORCIST
Step aside, Kael. She's infected.
YOUNG KAEL
She's not a threat!
[They cut her down. Kael drops to his knees.]
[BACK TO PRESENT. His face hardens.]
KAEL (V.O.)
If the Will hadn't whispered to her… she'd still be alive.
[He grips his blade tighter.]
KAEL
I'll kill him.
[SCENE: Raen and Lira reach an old sanctuary built into a rocky hillside. Vines cover the stone archway.]
LIRA
No one comes here anymore. Not even them.
[Inside, statues of forgotten gods crumble in the corners. Candles long extinguished line the walls.]
RAEN
What is this place?
LIRA
The Order used to burn cursed ones here.
[Raen hesitates. Lira lights a small flame with her fingers.]
LIRA
Now it's ours.
[SCENE: Nightfall. A fire crackles in the sanctuary. Raen sits across from Lira.]
RAEN You control yours… your curse.
LIRA
Control is an illusion. I burn if I stay calm. I burn worse if I don't.
RAEN
So why not give up?
LIRA
Because the fire is the only thing I have left.
[She looks at him.]
LIRA
What about you?
[Raen is silent.]
LIRA (genuine curiosity)
What did you lose?
[Raen's eyes lower. He removes his cloak, revealing his scar-like curse mark—dark tendrils stretched along his back.]
RAEN
Everything.
[SCENE: In a nearby town, an Exorcist Division gathers in a hall. A new figure enters—a tall man with silver armor and a mask: COMMANDER MAEVEN.]
EXORCIST CAPTAIN
Sir. We confirmed it. The Will bearer was seen near Vareth Forest.
MAEVEN
The Will is dangerous. But the others must be secured too.
EXORCIST CAPTAIN
Others, sir?
MAEVEN
The Flame. The Blade. The Bloodline is stirring again.
[He slams his gauntlet on the table.]
MAEVEN
We end this generation. For good.
[SCENE: Back at the sanctuary, Raen jerks awake. His mark glows faintly in the moonlight. He senses something.]
RAEN (whispers)
We're being watched.
[Suddenly, the stone wall behind them shatters. A massive figure charges in—eight feet tall, robed, and wearing bone-like armor.]
LIRA
MOVE!
[She hurls flames. The figure swats them aside.]
RAEN
That's not an exorcist.
[A glowing sigil pulses on the giant's chest.]
RAEN
It's a cursed hunter.
[They dodge attacks. The hunter slams the floor, sending shockwaves.]
LIRA (gritted teeth)
Who sent this thing?!
RAEN
I think… it's not human.
[Suddenly, the creature's chest opens—revealing a stitched-up heart burning with black fire.]
DEMON VOICE (V.O.)
Heirs of the curse… you are summoned.
[Raen's mark burns. Lira screams as her flame flares uncontrollably.]
RAEN (struggling)
It's trying to awaken us!
[They resist. Raen channels his cursed energy, just enough to dodge. Lira fires a blast of white-hot flame.]
[The hunter crumbles—but not before its mark brands the wall.]
LIRA (panting)
That wasn't just a hunter.
RAEN
It was a message.
LIRA
From who?
[SCENE: In the shadows beyond the mountains, a ruined temple. A masked figure sits on a throne of bones.]
MYSTERIOUS FIGURE
The heirs are gathering. Soon, the gate will open again.
[He lifts his mask slightly—revealing a curse mark over both eyes.]
MYSTERIOUS FIGURE
And the Demon King's soul… will be whole once more.
[FADE OUT.]