(The narrator speaks in the tone of an old war record.)
Two years have passed since the mountains of the Northern Front turned into walls of flame between the Pyra Solinaris nation and the Dominion Voltaris clan.
Two years of ash, blood, and smoke.
Two years in which children became soldiers… and soldiers became legends.
________________________________________
Northern Front, Red Dragon Camp
Under Minato's command, the army of the Pyra Solinaris nation advanced deep into Dominion territory.
His name is now carried in songs and stories in the camps—Captain Minato Dalis, the fire of the north, the man who does not retreat.
He was only twenty-two years old, and behind him stood an army that would die for him without a word.
________________________________________
A shadow in the dark
Somewhere beyond the borders of the known—deep behind enemy lines—the Shadow was at work.
A secret unit without a face, without a name.
And among them — one who stood above all.
Vex.
His katana — the Red Cut — became a symbol of fear.
His scarred face hid behind an old fox mask, and his name was whispered through taverns, trenches, and haunted cities:
"Vex, Heartless Blade."
Some said it was just a legend.
The second — that he is a demon who walks among men.
And only a few knew the truth — that beneath that mask still beat the heart of a lost boy named Arden Dalis.
________________________________________
Those who survived
Rin became a legend among spies—a ghost who appeared in the very heart of enemy cities, stealing secrets, sabotages, and plans.
Taro, once a playful boy, is now Major Pyro Solinaris, Minato's right-hand man — quiet, calm, ruthless when necessary.
Lyra… now leads the entire medical corps of the Northern Front.
She is only seventeen years old, but more wounded have passed through her hands than there are years of her life.
Her name became a symbol of hope among the soldiers — the "White Flame," the one who heals while everyone else burns.
________________________________________
A lull
The seven-year war claimed millions of lives.
But now—for the first time—the Voltaris Dominion has requested peace talks.
On the northern front, where the mountains were black with smoke, the fire died down.
Twenty days of temporary truce.
Twenty days without a shot, without blood.
Twenty days in which the soldiers of the Pyra Solinaris nation could watch the sunrise without the smell of ash for the first time.
But deep down, everyone knew — this is not the end.
This is just the calm before the storm.
________________________________________
(Final shot: Arden stands on a hill above the camp, a cigarette burning in his mouth, a fox mask hanging from his belt. His gaze is cold, but the glint of the sun rising over the frozen mountains flickers in his eyes.)
Vex (quietly, to himself):
"Peace?
War does not die out… it only breathes deeper."
(The camera pans out, revealing the vast camp of Pyra Solinaris in the morning light — rows of tents, sentries, cigar smoke, and far, beyond the horizon, the dark clouds of a new threat.)
Vex is sitting on a rock not far from the camp. A fox mask hangs from his belt, and on his knees is his katana, wrapped in dark cloth.
There is a scar on his face that goes over his left eye. His gaze is deep, but quiet... as if he were looking at the sky, which no longer knows whether it should be red with blood or golden with peace.
Lyra approaches him quietly, wearing a white uniform with medical corps insignia. He is holding a cup of steaming coffee in his hand. Following her are Taro and Rin—the three of them are the only ones who can still approach Arden without feeling the chill of his silence.
________________________________________
Dialogue
Lyra:
(hands him the cup)
"You still don't know how to rest, do you?"
Arden:
(takes coffee, looks at flame)
"Rest is for those who have finished fighting. We just stopped to catch our breath."
Tarot:
"We've been breathing for twenty days. Maybe enough is enough? The Dominion asked for negotiations, they say they want peace."
Rin:
(leans against a rock, eyes half closed)
"Peace? How many times have we heard that? Five times they sought it… and five times they blasted it with lightning."
(pause — silence, only the sound of fire)
Lyra:
"The war lasts seven years, Arden…seven.
And we've only been here for two years, but it already seems like a lifetime to me."
(looks at his scar, quietly)
"How many more times do you have to stand between the flames and death?"
Arden:
(takes off the mask, lays it next to him, the air cold against his skin)
"Until the fire is tired of burning."
(looks at them in order — Tara, Rina, Lyra)
"You know what's weirdest?
I don't remember a day when we weren't an army."
Tarot:
"That's why one day you'll forget why you lit your first cigar."
(smile, trying to break the weight)
Arden:
(takes a smoke, looks at the horizon)
"I won't forget. She reminds me that I'm alive."
Rin:
"And what if this peace actually works?"
(Arden pauses. A long look into the fire. His voice is low.)
Arden:
"Then we will have to learn how to live without the sword… and that will be the hardest battle of all."
(Silence. Lyra leans on Arden's shoulder, Taro throws a pebble into the fire. Rin stares at the stars, lost in thought.)
Lyra (quietly):
"You know, when you're unmasked… you look like that boy who wanted to save the world again."
Arden:
(slight smile, barely noticeable)
"That boy burned in the first blaze."
________________________________________
The camera slowly moves away from the four of them. The fire between them glows warm, but around them lies gray, scorched earth.
In the sky — silent thunder, somewhere far away.
A sign that the peace will not last.
Minato stands by the table, still in his uniform, his hands resting on the edge as he looks at the map—deep in thought.The tent door opens and Nija enters, quietly, almost silently, as if she is already part of the shadow.
Her hair is slightly wet from the rain, and her eyes... eyes are that same shade of blue that would look calm even under fire.
She says nothing; he just walked over to the table and stood right next to it.
They are silent for a while.
Just raindrops and their breathing.
________________________________________
Dialogue
Nia:
"You know… for the first time since I've been here, the night is quiet."
Minato:
(still looking at the map)
"Silence…to some means peace. To me—a reminder that a storm is coming."
Nia:
"That's why I love you. You never know how to stop, even when you should."
(smiles slightly, but sadness flickers in her eyes)
Minato:
(he finally looks at her, eyes tired but warm)
"Maybe I'll stop when this is all over."
Nia:
"And when it's over?"
Minato:
(step closer)
"Then I will go with you to Solinaris. And I will no longer stand before the cards, but… before you."
(pause — a moment of silence, only raindrops sliding down the canvas of the tent)
Nia:
(quietly, honestly)
"So… you really think we're going to come back?"
Minato:
(no hesitation)
"We will return. And when we get to the capital… I will marry you."
(Niya looks down. Her hands shake slightly. Minato walks up to her and, wordlessly, places his palm on her cheek—a rough, warm, soldier's palm. She keeps her eyes on him.)
Nia:
"You said that war consumes everything..."
Minato:
"What burns in us cannot."
(He leans in and kisses her—not on the lips, but on the forehead. A long, warm kiss that carries a promise. Her eyes close and a smile flickers between her tears.)
Nia:
"Then… promise me. When the war is over — no more weapons."
Minato:
"I promise."
(The lamps flicker, the wind blows through the tent, and the two remain in silence, hand in hand, looking at the flames reflected on the metal table. Two warriors who, if only for a moment, have found peace.)
Place: The main camp of the Pyra Solinaris nation, early morning, the day after Minato and Nia's conversation.
The sun breaks through the mist through the mountain air. The soldiers are cleaning their weapons, repairing their tents, and in the distance Arden can be seen—without a mask, standing on a hill and looking at the horizon, while cigarette smoke comes out of his mouth like a thin trail of fire.
________________________________________
(Description of the beginning)
The camp wakes up. The sound of boots on mud, metal clanking, and muffled voices.
The weight of the silence is felt—the soldiers don't know whether to believe in peace, or to fear it.
In the center of the camp, a tent with the captain's red seal—Minato's tent.
Inside—Minato, unarmored, wearing only a soldier's blouse. He stands over a table with a battlefield map, his eyes fixed on one place—a black dot marked: Fort Zhaer—the center of the Voltaris Dominion.
Taro and several senior officers stand beside him. Nia enters, quietly but resolutely.
________________________________________
Dialogue
Nia:
"The people are exhausted, Minato. Two years of fighting, two days of broken sleep.
If we start now, half will fall before we reach the first border."
Minato:
(duboko uzdahne, ruke mu stisnute na rub stola)
„Znam. Ali osjećam to. Ovo zatišje… nije mir. Dominion se sprema za nešto veliko."
Taro:
„Ili blefiraju. Pregovori o miru počinju za tri dana. Ako ih prekinemo, cijeli sjever će eksplodirati."
Minato:
(pogleda ih obojicu, ton glasa oštar, ali miran)
„Pregovori su dimna zavjesa.
Dominion ima kralja — onog koga još nismo vidjeli. Njegove trupe ne spavaju, samo čekaju da otkrijemo gdje udariti."
(pauza. Svi ga gledaju, tišina napeta.)
Nija:
„Šta predlažeš?"
Minato:
(pogled mu prelazi preko karte, zatim podigne pogled, odlučno)
„Neka se vojska odmori. Svi.
Trinaest dana bez marševa, bez borbi.
Neka poprave oružje, pojedu topli obrok… neka povrate snagu. Jer ono što dolazi... neće biti samo bitka."
(zastane, glas mu postaje dubok, gotovo šapat)
„Osjećam to.
Kralj rata se budi."
(Opis kraja scene)
Kamera polako prelazi s njegovog lica na šator, zatim van, preko logora — vojnici koji čiste mačeve, popravljaju oklope, neki sjede umorni, neki se smiju tiho kao da pokušavaju zaboraviti.
Na horizontu, crni oblaci se skupljaju, i daleki grom zasvijetli — samo na trenutak.
Narator (dubok glas):
„U svijetu gdje je rat postao zakon, čak i kad nastupi tišina — oružje i dalje diše.
I negdje, iza horizonta, kralj rata otvara oči."