(Night. The rain beats like a thousand drums. The moonless sky. The River San — murky, wide, silent. On its banks — the silence before the storm.)
On the northern bank, rows of soldiers emerge from the darkness — the Dominion Voltaris, known as the Lightning Clan.
Their armor plates gleam under flashes of distant lightning, and on their banners — the symbol of blue thunder.
They are led by General Dil Voltaris — a tall, ruthless warrior with eyes that shine like thunder.
Under his command — 1000 men.
The rows cross the bridge, step by step, like breathing steel.
(The sound of water. Weapons clank. Nothing else.)
Dil raises his hand.
The columns stop, then continue.
Half the army is already in the middle of the bridge — the sound of footsteps mingling with the roar of the sky.
________________________________________
(On the other side, in the fog, hidden in the mud of the river — the Shadow waits.)
Arden, mask on his face, stands in knee-deep water.
His breathing is quiet. His eyes are closed.
Beside him dozens of fighters — silence, calmness, readiness.
The only voice they need to hear is echoing in their ears:
Minato: "Wait for the signal.
When the sky speaks, the earth will answer."
(The camera pans from Arden's view of the bridge. For a moment only the dripping is heard.)
________________________________________
General Deal (on the bridge):
"Forward! The Dominion is not waiting for permission from the storm!"
(Flags go up — blue lightning flashes over the water.)
But then...
The air constricted. The sky is cracking.
One, only, huge flash — as if the whole world was divided into light and darkness.
________________________________________
SIGNAL.
From the fog, from the water, from the darkness itself — Shadows are moving.
Like a hundred demons from the bowels of the earth, they emerge from under the bridge, with knives, hooks and chains.
The silence cracks.
Screams.
Blood mixes with rain.
(Arden leaps onto the bridge first. Movement — clean, precise, murderous.)
Knife through the neck, twist, another enemy falls into the water.
Lightning cuts the sky, and in its flash you see only — the mask of a fox, cold and unmoved.
________________________________________
Dil (furious):
"Ambush! Form line! On the bridge, now!"
(Dominion tries to regroup. But it's too late.)
From the left bank, Minato's troops open fire.
Arrows with burning tips streak through the darkness like a swarm of comets.
The right bank explodes — powder traps, thrown the day before.
Hell begins.
________________________________________
(The camera follows Arden through the fight — everything is in slow motion, like a dance of death.)
A soldier tries to spear him — Arden grabs him, pulls him back, hits him with a knee, then stabs him under the chin.
Another runs to the side — Arden grabs him by the armor and pushes him into the river.
For a moment, the fog clears and the entire bridge is visible—an inferno of people, flames, and water.
________________________________________
Minato (from the hill, shouting):
"Hold the line! Don't let them cross! Arden, to the west end!"
(Arden nods, jumps off the bridge — falls into the water, disappears into the mist.)
Under water — everything is quiet.
Then he opened his eyes — and a fire lit up in them.
His hands flickered, and a faint but pure flame appeared from them.
The water boils around him.
That flame — that's the Covenant.
What no one has seen before.
(He doesn't use the full power—just her breath.)
It emerges from the water and throws flames through the rain.
The bridge caught fire at that point, brilliantly, as if the sun had fallen into the night.
The Dominion army retreats, confused and broken.
________________________________________
General Deal (furious, through smoke):
"Who... is he?"
(Minato from a distance, watching Arden walk through the fire)
"He... is not 'he'.
It's the Shadow. A vow he never forgets."
________________________________________
(The camera pans out — the bridge is burning, the rain is falling, and the river is carrying bodies.
Thunder in the distance, but now you don't know if it's coming from the sky... or from Arden's soul.)
"That day, the Dream River was not water — it was blood and memory."
(San River, a few hours after the battle. The sky is overcast, smoke still hovers above the burned banks. The remains of a bridge and the black armored masks of the enemy float on the water. The wail of the wounded is occasionally heard. The rain is falling — silent, but relentless.)
(The camera slowly moves over dead bodies, through half-collapsed trenches and bloodied rocks. In the background — silence. Only the crackling of the fire still smoldering on Arden's sword.)
(Arden — still in his fox-mask gear — stands among the survivors. His mask is cracked and his armor is tarnished. He holds a katana in his hand, the edge of which is still slightly burning. His gaze is blank.)
(Nearby, Mayor Minato's soldiers are bringing in several prisoners from the Dominion Voltaris Clan. They are shivering, wet and wounded, as Minato appears before them.)Minato (coldly):
"Save those who are still breathing. The rest... let the river carry them away."
(He pauses, looks at Arden.)
"Vex... or should I say — Arden."
(Arden slowly bows his head, then removes his mask. His damp hair falls over his eyes. He looks at his brother.)
Arden (quietly, expressionless):
"It's over."
Minato:
"It's over?"
(turns to the field)
"Look around you. This is not the end, Arden. This is just the beginning of a new hell."
(Arden is silent. His gaze wanders between the prisoners and the dead bodies of his comrades. One of the soldiers brings him the lost mask.)
Soldier:
"Mr. Vex... we found this."
(Arden looks at the mask in his hand, presses it with his fingers, and slowly pronounces it.)
Arden:
"Keep it. A mask does not save the soul."
(Minato walks closer to him, lights a cigar and hands him another. They both stand by the fire, in silence.)
Minato:
"When I sent you to the Shadow, I hoped you would survive.
I didn't know... that you would die inside."
(Arden laughs slightly, but without warmth.)
Arden:
"A dead man feels no fear."
(pauses, looks across the horizon)
"But even a dead man knows that war never stops."
Silence. The camera pans out, showing the river slowly swallowing up the remains of the bridge. Arden stands at the edge of the bank—no mask, but his face in the dim light looks as if he still wears it.)
"In the silence after the fire, a new spark is born."
(Inside the large war tent at the camp by the River San. A map of the valley is spread out on the table—muddy, with traces of blood and ash. Outside the tent, the night is humming, rain and wind blowing away the ashes of the recent battle.)
(Standing around the table—Mayor Minato, Captain Amon, and four fire captains: Ren, Din, Darius, and Taro (who now holds the rank of junior commander). The atmosphere is heavy. They all look exhausted.)
Minato (in a calm but determined voice):
"The Battle of the San is over... but the war is not.
Our reconnaissance squad has confirmed—there are about one hundred and thirty enemy ninja from the Dominion Voltaris clan left in the valley."
(He pauses, pointing to the red dots on the map—the forests, rocks, and caves where the enemy has retreated.)
Minato:
"Most of them are wounded, hungry... but dangerous. If we give them time, they'll join forces with reinforcements.
So for the next fifteen days... we'll clear the valley."
(The tent falls silent. Only the dripping of rain can be heard. Captain Amon clenches his fist.)
Amon:
"Another fifteen days of blood... I think we've all given more than we had."
(Kael, the younger captain, looks at Arden, who stands in the corner—maskless, but still cold and still.)
Kael (quietly):
"And what about the Shadow? Are they participating in the clearing?"
(Minato looks at Arden, his eyes lingering on his brother for a moment.)
Minato:
"The Shadow will go first.
You go in among them at night, we clear the area during the day.
No prisoners. Just silence."(Taro becomes agitated, but must not speak. He looks for Arden's reaction — but he remains cold, arms folded, gaze blank.)
Arden (calmly, without hesitation):
"I understand."
(Minato nods briefly, but his gaze softens for a moment — as if he sees in him both a brother and a weapon.)
Minato:
"Rest tonight. Tomorrow we begin our descent down the valley."
And let every shadow know—the flame of Pyre is not quenched while the enemy breathes."
(The captains nod, and Amon takes another look at the map. Silence covers the tent. Arden steps out first, immediately drenched in rain as he puts the mask back on his face. The camera stays in the tent — Minato standing alone, looking at the map and whispering to himself.)
Minato (quietly):
"Fifteen days…
Fifteen days to hell."
(Night. A fog falls over the Valley of San. The rain has stopped, but the air is thick and heavy. Silence — only the sound of water and unheard footsteps.
The shadow moves. Twelve warriors, in black cloaks, no light, no voice.)
(On his forehead — Vex. Katana on his back, cigarette smoldering between his fingers, a flame the only sign of life in the darkness. He takes an occasional puff of smoke, then lets it out into the cold air — the mist swallows him.)
(His eyes flicker slightly in the darkness, a glint of fire in them. He signals with his hand. The shadow separates into three groups and disappears among the rocks.)
(In the distance, through the mist, a camp of the remaining Dominion Voltaris Clan ninjas can be seen. Tired, wounded, but still armed. Blue flashes of lightning occasionally cut across the sky — a sign that they still wield power.)
Vex (quietly, to himself):
"The air smells of fear... and ozone.
Perfect."
(He takes a drag, throws the cigarette into the mud, and draws his katana. The metal flashes, and a thin layer of fire appears on the blade—quiet, controlled, as if it were breathing with him.)(From the shadows, the enemy — three Voltaris ninjas — move suddenly. One lunges from the right, another throws a lightning missile, the third tries to attack from behind.)
(Vex ducks, his katana cuts the air. A flame arc slices through the mist—the first ninja falls, his wound closing in ash.
Another fired a bolt of lightning directly at Vex, he swung his sword — fire and lightning collided, an explosion lighting up the valley. Vex is thrown back, smoke and mud flying everywhere.)
(He gets up with difficulty. A wound pulsates on his right shoulder — a lightning scar, the skin scorched, steam rising from it. His breathing is deep but steady. His gaze is cold.)
Vex (dark):
"You're a fast learner… but you're not fast enough."
(He swings his sword, his flame flares up, now brighter and hotter. Vex runs through the mist, his body moving like a flame in the wind—unpredictable, malleable, deadly.)
(The katana slashes another thunderbolt—fire and lightning collide, and the explosion creates a flash that lights up the entire valley for a moment. The last enemy tries to run—but Vex catches up and drives his sword into the ground. Flames spread around him in a circle.)
(The water from the river rises, steam fills the mist. Everything is white. Only his silhouette, with the flame of the katana and the steam rising from his skin — a sign that he too is burning, inside and out.)
(In that silence, only his breathing can be heard. His gaze falls on his hand—the lightning wound flickers. He looks up, toward the shining sky, and whispers softly.)
Vex:
"If this is the price... I'll pay it."
(He draws smoke from a new cigarette again. He extinguishes it with the tip of his still-hot sword. The camera pans away, showing the mist parting, bodies disappearing into ash, and Arden standing tall—wounded but unconquered.)
"Fire and lightning — two that never sleep."
(The morning after the battle in the Valley of the Sun. The mist is still rising from the river. The river is still, but the stillness is deceptive—everything around them smells of smoke and ash. The shadow has retreated, leaving behind silent trails of fire and blood. Arden sits on a sheltered hill, his katana laid by his side. His right shoulder still pulses with lightning.)
(In front of him stands a young medical ninja, Lyra, 15 years old, elegant and calm, but with determination in her eyes. She wore a white cloak over a black suit. Her hands shimmer slightly, preparing a healing technique.)
Lyra:
"Vex… Arden.
You have to let me put out the flame on the wound before it causes an infection.
You won't be able to heal a lightning wound by yourself."
(Arden slowly bows his head. His voice is low, cold, but sincere.)
Arden:
"It doesn't hurt… enough.
I just… I don't want anyone to… see the fear in their eyes."
(Lyra smiles slightly, but doesn't relent. She walks over and touches his hand lightly. Her hands glow with a blue light as healing energy begins to flow through him. Arden closes his eyes. The fire on his katana flickers slightly and smoke from his cigarette rises in the air.)
Lyra:
"The first time you were wounded… the first time you really felt the blood of the enemy and their impact.
It's not a shame. Your body remembers it, but you can control your mind and power.
The fire is yours… but also your weakness, if you let it burn out of control."
(Arden is silent. His gaze wanders across the river, where in the distance the trace of the battle and the remains of the bridge can be seen. He slowly opens his eyes and looks at Lyra.)
Arden:
"The fire…reacts to my thoughts…
but when something hits… like lightning… i feel different.
It's like… it's burning both inside and out."
(Lyra nods, lightly places her hands on his wound once more. Blue healing energy pulses and spreads across his shoulder. Arden breathes deeper, but his hand trembles as he holds the katana.)
Lyra:
"That's because you crossed the line between student and warrior.
You must learn to balance power and body, or the fire will consume you before the enemy arrives."
(Arden looks at her, for a moment honestly and humanly—no mask, no cold-blooded Vex. His voice is low, but determined.)
Arden:
"Thank you…Lyra."