🎬 Scene 1 — Beneath the World, Before the Fire
Far beneath the living world—
deeper than any root, any grave, any prayer—
a forgotten chamber breathed.
The walls were carved from obsidian and bone.
Books lined the shelves—hundreds of them—each sealed shut.
Some glowed faintly. Others bled ink from their pages.
All of them pulsed—alive, unnatural—like hearts that never stopped whispering.
Chains hung from the ceiling.
Some broken.
Some still holding what remained of... those who came before.
At the center of this cursed library stood a pedestal—
and on it, one black book.
Its leather cover shimmered with dampness, like fresh skin.
No title. No markings.
Just emptiness that stared back if you stared too long.
But inside, on the first page—
faint, written only for those meant to see it:
> "The Gossipers' Karma."
And from the shadows…
He watched.
The Demon.
No horns. No tail.
Just a figure of shifting smoke and shadow—
as if regret had taken shape and learned how to smile.
His eyes glowed a muted crimson, like embers buried deep in ash.
He moved between the shelves slowly, reverently.
His long fingers trailed across the spines of the cursed books.
Each book had a story.
Each book had a soul.
> "They always come willing," he whispered.
"A little grief, a little hate… and the rest writes itself."
He turned toward the pedestal.
> "And this one… oh, she was special."
He never touched the book.
He didn't need to.
> "She wrote without fear.
And in return… I collected the ones she hated."
He gestured — and all the other books on the shelves pulsed, faint and red.
> "Each of these… written by mouths too loud, hearts too broken.
People who thought the blank pages were salvation."
He began to laugh.
Low. Echoing. Cruel.
> "But salvation is just a word for sweet poison."
Then he looked up.
Past the stone.
Past the roots.
To Valmora.
And there it was—
cracking at the seams.
Whispers blooming like rot in a ripe fruit.
> "Let them speak.
The more they whisper… the louder death answers."
He smiled.
> "It's awake again.
And she's already returned."
The wind inside the chamber shifted.
Pages fluttered.
Chains rattled softly—like something hungry being stirred.
The Demon turned away, slowly vanishing into smoke—
but his voice remained.
> "The curse never ends."
"It just waits… for someone to write again."
---
🎬 Scene 2 — Elina's House, A Haunting Morning
Elina stood at the kitchen window, slowly stirring her tea.
The sky outside was gray.
The wind… still.
She stared at the trees beyond her yard—
dark, unmoving—
as if waiting for something to stir.
> "I saw him."
"I saw Leo."
"But… how?"
Flashes burned in her mind—Leo's face, blood, the blade in his hand.
The screaming.
Her hand tightened around the spoon.
> "I swore I'd never go back there…"
"Not again."
Then—
Caw. Caw.
The sound of distant crows.
Echoing.
Relentless.
Just like back then.
[KNOCK. KNOCK.]
She turned toward the door, heart uneasy.
---
🎬 Scene 3 — Front Door, Late Morning
Elina opened the door slowly.
A woman stood outside.
Elegant. Smiling.
But something was… off.
Her smile was too wide.
Her eyes too knowing.
> Woman:
"Long time no see… dear."
Elina froze.
> Elina:
"H-Huh?"
The woman giggled—light, airy, but cracked at the edges.
> Woman:
"I'm kidding!"
[She tilted her head slightly.]
"You look so tense. I just came by to... get to know each other better."
"It's good to have new friends in town, don't you think?"
Elina nodded, slow and unsure.
> Elina (inner thought):
"Who is this?"
"Why does her voice feel... familiar?"
The woman looked around briefly, then smiled again.
> Woman:
"Well then… I'll be going."
She turned.
Walked to her car.
Drove off.
---
🎬 Scene 4 — Inside the Woman's Car
The mysterious woman watched Elina's house shrink in her rearview mirror.
She smirked, her fingers tapping the steering wheel.
> Woman:
"She doesn't remember me… haha."
> Woman (whispers):
"But she will."
---
🎬 Scene 5 — Elina's Living Room, That Night
Elina sat on the couch.
Eyes on the front door.
A book lay open in her lap — but she hadn't turned the page.
Her children were asleep, the soft sound of cartoons filling the room.
Then—
BZZZ.
The lights flickered.
> Elina (inner thought):
"Something's starting again."
She stood.
Peered out the window.
Across the street…
the woman's car.
Parked.
Empty.
Watching.
> Elina (softly):
"Who are you…?"
---
🎬 Scene 6 — The Demon Watches Again
Location: The Forgotten Library, Below Valmora
The Demon returned to the center of the chamber.
A spectral mirror hovered in the air before him.
Through it—Elina.
Her hand on the doorknob.
Fear written across her face.
Beside it—another mirror.
The woman.
Smiling.
Hunting.
> Demon:
"Good girl. Confuse her.
Let her remember… slowly."
"The more cracks in the mind…
the louder my book speaks."
The cursed tome twitched on the pedestal.
Pages fluttered.
> Demon (whisper):
"Soon, she'll need to hear the whisper again."
"And when she does… I'll be waiting."
---
🎬 Scene 7 — Leo's Resolve
Location: Bloom Village, Outside the Inn
The wind was still.
But Leo wasn't.
He sat at the edge of the roof.
His sword across his lap.
A faint trail of dried blood ran down his side.
Below, the village moved on.
But above, his mind burned.
> Leo (inner thought):
"They didn't die."
"I sliced through them—again and again—but they came back…"
He clenched his jaw, recalling the massacre.
The shadows.
The spirits that laughed without mouths.
> "They're not ghosts…"
"They're something worse."
He stood, gaze sharp.
Crows circled above.
> Leo:
"If I don't find a way to kill them—
someone else will die next."
He turned toward the east.
Toward the ruins of the old archives.
> Leo (inner thought):
"There's something I haven't tried…"
"Something deeper than metal."
"Magic… maybe truth…
or something older than both."
He slid his blade into its sheath.
> "I'll end this."
"Even if I have to carve the answers out of hell itself."
---
🎬 Final Scene — Somewhere in Valmora — The Tower
A crumbling skyscraper.
The 13th floor flickered.
In the center—
a book floated.
> Black.
Open.
Whispering.
Pages turned.
Words glowed.
And the voices grew louder—
> "She's near…"
"He remembers…"
"The curse awakens…"
Then—
Silence.
One voice returned.
> "They're hearing it again…
just as planned."
---
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💬 Got a theory? A favorite line? I read every comment. Let me know!
— Kent