LURID : The Story of a Girl who Doesn't Exist...

[Kerrigan]

<img src=" A little screenplay I've been working on for my college course. The premise is as follows: Teagan is a fictional character created by author Byron Wolfe. Byron Wolfe is a writer slowly losing his mind, who manifests himself Teagan's world to achieve a mysterious goal. Sounds simple... but I promise the screenplay is much much better lol. Any questions, PLEASE respond to the post. Feedback would also be ideal. This is basically the first 30 pages, roughly scenes 1-10. Enjoy and respond!



INT. CASTLE LIBRARY -- NIGHT
A richly decorated library with arched cathedral-like windows. Curtains are drawn. Appears to be after hours.
A pair of candles is atop a table at the library’s center, dimly lighting the area.
Two shadows dance along the bookshelves as the flame of the candle writhes to-and-fro.
Seated at the table, are TEAGAN and MATTHIAS who have already been in conversation for several hours. They have met in secret and both are in nightgowns.

TEAGAN
(Cryptic. Recalling. As if trying to explain)
“The world is in bits and pieces. Adrift in the sky. The ground is ripped asunder; a great gash across its face. From this jagged chasm, mauve fire seeps like blood. Shadows pour out by the masses. Faceless demons. …They slaughter everyone to pursue me… as if I’m the source of it all. As if they thirst for my death and live only to taste it. …And then there hails a demon whom I call friend; he is different from the rest. …We change things. Greatly change things. There’s a sense of serenity where once there was only chaos. Some sort of beautiful tomorrow…”
Matthias listens intently. There is a look on his face that would seem to show signs of worry. Though, he tries to mask it rather abruptly for Teagan’s benefit.

MATTHIAS
(Tiredly, half whispered)
“Your dreams lack variety, it seems, Your Highness. Three weeks to the day this dream has plagued you. Always this chasm. Always this demon…”

TEAGAN
“And always a bright future after it all. It starts with such destruction…”

Teagan places her right hand playfully over one of the candles, seeing how close she can lower it until it burns. She heaves a stressful sigh.

TEAGAN (CONT’D)
“…and then the destruction is gone. We arrive at a very special place. Peaceful. People are happy with what we‘ve done, what we‘ve overcome.”

Teagan looks up at Matthias, meeting his gaze as she continues to tease the flame with her palm.

MATTHIAS
“You mustn’t fear such things. It’s a ruse of the mind. Thoughts unaccounted for. Only a dream.”

Matthias watches her hand lower and rise from the candle, losing himself momentarily in the glow of the flame.

TEAGAN
“Only a dream? A dream as vivid as the life it mimics. Matthias… I’m beginning to fear it is more than a dream. It’s as if I live and breathe, throughout. It’s like I’m elsewhere in time. There’s a whisper that etches itself into stone… and declares that this is the life I’m to lead.”

MATTHIAS
(Abruptly)
“A whisper?”

TEAGAN
(Assertively)
“A whisper. A lingering. It is upon my every move. It’s so powerful, Matthias. I’m telling you it’s like nothing I’ve ever felt. To put it into words, is-…”
She burns herself and quickly recoils her hand, rubbing it with her other.

TEAGAN (CONT’D)
“I cannot explain to you how it feels. Hound me and console me for all that it’s worth, but I am certain that the dream I dream… is a dream that will come true.”

She continues to tend to her wound, though the pain is gone. Her eyes fall on the flame that had burned her and she lets loose a small snigger.

TEAGAN (CONT’D)
(Stressed, worn out)
“I’m sorry if I frighten you, Matthias. I came to you for comfort and yet I proclaim that I need none. You must think your Princess crazy.”

MATTHIAS
(Amused)
“Crazy? Hardly. I think the King and Queen crazy, most times… but you, Your Highness, are hardly as mad as they are.

TEAGAN
(Jokingly)
“Treason!”

The two laugh quietly. When the laughter ceases, Matthias reaches across the table to place his right hand atop Teagan’s.

MATTHIAS
“I’ve played a hand in raising you, Your Highness, therefore I know that your mind is scholarly. But even a scholarly mind cannot match wits with the unseen, inexplicable things of the world. Be it a simple dream or a vision of the future, you’re not crazy. Perhaps it’s a hint of your destiny? I know that I’m a philosopher, but that doesn‘t mean I don‘t believe in a higher purpose.”

Matthias rises from his seat slowly, lifting one of the candles from the table into his left hand. He makes for a bookshelf behind Teagan who stares blankly at his empty seat.

TEAGAN
(Whispered to herself)
“Dreams and destiny entwine only in fairytales. Never reality…”

Teagan twists her body around so that she can see Matthias. The old man is fingering the spines of books, row by row.

TEAGAN (CONT’D)
“What are you looking for?”

MATTHIAS
“Oh, just a bit of research. Your dreams remind me of something…”

TEAGAN
“Matthias, you don’t have to pretend that you believe me. I’ve never doubted your loyalty, but I beg that you don‘t exchange it for pity.”

Matthias continues to search the books. His search of the current shelf proves useless, and he moves to another, repeating his actions.

MATTHIAS
(Amused)
“Never doubted, you say? It seems to me, Your Highness, that you just have.”

He tilts out a book from the shelf every now and then to get a clearer view of the cover.

MATTHIAS (CONT’D)
“Tell me, have I ever schooled you on the Rend Ascension?”

Teagan turns about in her chair to sit normally, hands in her lap. She nods to herself.

TEAGAN
“Yes, you have… though, I hardly remember, to be honest. A group of Cultists behind uprisings in the kingdom, years ago?”

Matthias eyes the back of her head before he continues looking, moving to yet another shelf, this one just to the left of Teagan. It sports a ladder which he begins to slowly climb. Teagan shifts her head toward him.

MATTHIAS
“Centuries ago, to be exact.”

He runs his finger along one final spine before tugging a book out, eyeing the cover, and stepping back down the ladder. He sets the book before Teagan and gently opens the hardcover.

MATTHIAS (CONT’D)
“The Rend Ascension was, as you said, a cultist group known for insurgences throughout the land.”

Matthias skips a chunk of pages, flipping them randomly until he arrives at a colorful page. On this page is a portrait of a man clad in crimson from head to toe. On the opposite page is accommodating text. Teagan leans forward to examine the picture more closely.

TEAGAN
(Curiously)
“Who is that?”
Matthias reads from the text adjacent to the image. Even though he knows who it is, he thinks it best to read to Teagan what the book states.

MATTHIAS
(Reading)
“The Rend Ascension sect, while notorious for mutinies against the great kingdom of Tethys in the Fourth Age, began its rise to power late in the Third Age under the authority of a self-proclaimed prophet by the name of Red Fenris.”

Teagan continues to overlook the image of Red Fenris. She notices cultist members gathered at the bottom of the page, paying homage.

MATTHIAS (CONT’D)
(Reading)
“At the end of the Third Age, Red Fenris declared that he had foreseen, firsthand, the future of Tethys, and saw an unpromising outcome.”

Below the paragraph that Matthias is reading is a quote, which Teagan brushes her index and middle fingers across in disbelief.

TEAGAN
(Reading)
“…The Kingdom of Tethys will consume the minds and souls of those who know it best. It must be destroyed for the good of us all…”

Teagan looks up at Matthias in question.

TEAGAN (CONT’D)
“He foresaw our kingdom doing terrible things. …But to whom?”

MATTHIAS
“Those who know us best, he said. Little else is known about that line. For a time, frightened kingdom officials swayed by Red Fenris’ ideals suspected that he meant we would turn on our allies.”

Teagan turns the page. The new left page sports an image of Rend Ascension cultists at war with Tethys soldiers. The right sports little text.

TEAGAN
(Reading)
“The beginning of the Fourth Age, 6,453. The month of September. The Rend Ascension and Tethys are at war. The insurrection is short lived. Tethys emerges victorious over Red Fenris and his cultists in the month of November, two months after it began. Now having doubts about their prophet leader’s ability to make an impact, The Rend Ascension begins to disband. Red Fenris is nowhere to be found. By 6,454 the Rend Ascension is scattered. By 6,460 The Rend Ascension is non-existent.”
Teagan flips to the next page and examines it. It’s an all new chapter about another era that has no ties to the Rend Ascension, so she flips back to the previous page.

MATTHIAS
“Red Fenris foresaw something terrible, Your Highness, as you have. His vision, however, never came to pass. Or so it would seem.”
TEAGAN
“You believe my visions are similar to those of Red Fenris? That he and I have the same ability?”
MATTHIAS
“Well, I wouldn’t go so far as to call it an ability, but yes. Your predicaments are similar. I only bring up the topic to put you at ease. To prove that dreams that frighten or motivate people are not unheard of. People have lived and died for dreams in the past, and The Rend Ascension is testament to their power… as well as their chances of coming to fruition.”
Matthias closes the book.
MATTHIAS ( CONT’D)
“It was a brief point in history. It’s remembered by few. And there’s been no mention of the Rend Ascension for nearly seven-hundred years.”

TEAGAN
“…Maybe you’re right. Maybe it is just a dream. Maybe it has a meaning that’s lost to me.”

MATTHIAS
“Undoubtedly. It’s meaning will come in time. Whether it be something simple or drastic. But do not overestimate it, either. It may be just a passing thought. And it may be just a matter of time until your dreams move on to something new.”

Teagan nods almost solemnly.

TEAGAN
(Hopeful)
“Maybe if I stop fussing over it… I’ll stop feeding the fire, so to speak.”
She rubs her eyes tiredly and lets out a sigh of exhaustion before sliding the book toward the edge of the table for Matthias to return to the shelf. Matthias, however, slides it back with a smile.

MATTHIAS
(Jovial)
“Tomorrow’s lesson so happens to be on the Chapter following the Rend Ascension; The Upsweep. Hold onto it, Your Highness. Read up before the lesson so that you have questions to ask.”
Teagan moans playfully, playing the part of the rebellious student. She and Matthias laugh, and he pats her gently on the shoulder.
TEAGAN
(Sarcastically)
“Yes, Professor.”
MATTHIAS
“And with that, I think it’s time that you got yourself some sleep.”

TEAGAN
(Jokingly)
“One can only hope I’m not interrupted again.”

Matthias laughs and Teagan rises from her seat, tucking the history book under her arm. The two hug, and as Teagan begins to make for the exit of the library, Matthias blows out the candle in his hand.

TEAGAN
“Goodnight, Matthias. …And thank you for lending me your ear at this late hour.”

Teagan looks over her shoulder at him. The faint smoke from the blown out candle slithers upward and away from him. The only remaining light in the room is the single candle on the table at which they were speaking.

MATTHIAS
(Graciously)
“Goodnight, Princess. I‘m here for you at any hour should the need arise. Pleasant dreams.”
Teagan gives him one last smile. She quietly opens the library door and allows it to shut behind her as she walks through, now out of sight. Matthias watches after her until the door is shut and clicks softly into place. He blows out the final candle… and retreats deeper into the library, to his own quarters.
The clicking of another door.
The room is now empty.
The candle smoke billows thinly into the now empty room… which is now even darker than before but with small hints of moonlight creeping out from beneath the curtains drawn before the cathedral-like windows.
And then, suddenly, there’s a shift in shadows… a slow pattern of footsteps.
Someone else, concealed in the darkness, makes their way out from the far confines of the library, and sits in the seat that Teagan had occupied only moments before.
They stare at the dead candle at the table’s center from beneath a loose-fitting hood…
…and then they are gone. Disappeared.
The candle smoke blows violently as if there were a passing wind.

END SCENE

DREAM SEQUENCE -- EXT. KINGDOM OF TETHYS --DUSK
TEAGAN walks a long road that leads from the castle, to the kingdom’s edges. With every step, ripples are sent across the land… as if it were water. Her surroundings grow increasingly more dim with every stride… until it is black and gray. Only the silhouettes of her surroundings remain, like shadows. The gray sky in the distance bleeds ebony ink… running slowly to the ground as if sliding down a painter’s canvas. The clouds take on the shapes of vaporous faces… twisted and tormented. And then there is a cry from nowhere in particular. All around her.
She stops walking, looking all around. She begins stepping backwards, hands to her chest as if breathing was difficult.
The ground before her in the center of the road cracks. Dark hands erupt violently from the crack, clawing at the road like rabid animals… and Teagan turns about, sprinting back toward the castle. Her pale white nightgown stands out among the darkness.
As she flees, the crack expands, following her every stride. More hands force themselves upward. The ominous shadow-like entities to which these hands belong, soon find their way up and out of the expanding crack. From afar they resemble both man and beast alike. Not one of them is the same… but all seem to be hunched and writhing in agony with every step.
They chase after Teagan. Some walking. Some crawling. Some running. The crack begins to branch out into many… and soon, the entire thing collapses into a great chasm. Purple fire flows from its abyssal depths and sears the landscape.
Teagan finds her way through the main portion of the kingdom, which is inhabited by Tethys citizens who are much too calm for what is taking place. She makes for the castle, screaming at the top of her lungs for her father… her mother… Matthias. Anyone that will hear her.
But her voice is scarcely a voice at all. It comes off as a dull, muffled humming overpowered by the collapsing of the kingdom behind her.
Every building, every tree, every piece of everything there ever was in Tethys is torn from the ground and tossed into the sky where it hovers, broken over the great chasm, held up by some unknown force. The demons continue to manifest and crawl out of the chasm… raiding the kingdom. They slaughter every citizen in sight… and continue their persistent pursuit of Teagan who now pounds with both fists against the main doors of the castle, which for some reason, are shut on her.
The demons close in and reach for her. In one single, united voice… they cry out in a gargled onslaught of whispers…

THE DEMONS
“Destroy the Muse!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

Teagan twirls about at the sound, horrified, only to see hundreds of hands and claws outstretched before her face. She continues to scream for help and slumps her back against the castle door… sliding down it until she is seated, knees drawn to her chest, sobbing and trembling… waiting for death.
Suddenly, a shifting mass of shady cloth drops before Teagan, creating a sort of wall between her and the outstretched hands. Teagan manages to lower her shielding arms from her face and notices that the mass of cloth is indeed a cape attached to a dark, armor clad man… who is just as dark… if not darker… than the demons after her. Shadow swirls from his feet, upward, in a type of dark tornado.
He bends to his left in preparation. For what, is unclear. Until he draws an ominous blade and hacks in all directions, cutting the hands at their wrists with a dizzying array of swipes. The demons cry out, louder than before.
Teagan continues to cower, but oddly enough, grips the mans dark cape in her hands. She looks up at the monstrous warrior who looks down at her through eyes of purple fire from behind the dark metal helmet on his head; the same fire that pours from the chasm that has split Tethys apart.
No words are exchanged. Teagan pulls at the stranger’s rigid armor pieces until she is standing and once again has some sort of footing. Even then, she can only hide behind her protector’s right arm.
The many demons in pursuit have began to scatter, damaged and broken. Loose hands and arms litter the ground, contorting violently as if still attached to their owners.
The man says something… but it is only a muffled series of breaths. …But Teagan seems to understand. They begin a march. The man obliterates any interloper in their path. Teagan stays with him, staring blankly at the storm of blood and shadow that churns all around her.
The way is open. Together, Teagan and the stranger run forward into a field of tall grass that tops off at their hips. The gray sky is gone. No more chasm. No more demons. But the field is suddenly packed with people who sing their praises to the two. The words are inaudible, but the feelings expressed are pure. They are thankful. All of them. As if both Teagan and this man have done something wondrous.
…But the man is gone. Despite a few attempts to search through the crowd to find him, he does not turn up. Teagan can not find him.
She is alone. The people disperse and disappear. A familiar feeling of dread returns.
Teagan looks around, hoping that the armor clad man from before would show up and protect her again. Suddenly, from the other end of the field of tall grass, encroaches a figure.
Believing it to be the man from before, Teagan begins to run toward him… but stops upon noticing it is someone else entirely. A man swathed in a heavy cloak… his face covered in the shade of a baggy hood.
Two demons from the chasm wander in from behind the cloaked enigma. One kneels at his left side, hugging and eerily running its clawed hands up and down the man’s lower body. It mutters something in a voice of a hundred whispers, looking upward at the man’s face for acknowledgement.
The second, embraces the cloaked man from behind… one of its claws being dragged gently across his chest… the other up and down his right arm. This one growls into the man’s ear.
It would seem that the two demons are serenading this man with evil. Putting thoughts into his head of some sort.

LOWER DEMON
(Whispered, as if a dozen voices at once)
“Destroy the Muse… Destroy it…”

UPPER DEMON
(Whispered with a demonic tone, deeper than the other)
“…You must destroy it. It has taken everything…”

Teagan takes in the horrifying sight. Listens to the words. And then the demons shift their purple flaming eyes onto her… hints of sadistic grins beginning to manifest.
And suddenly, unexpectedly… their mouths and eyes gape open and they howl the most frightening, unsettling roar that Teagan has ever heard.
END SCENE
INT. TEAGAN’S ROOM -- MORNING
Teagan violently sits up in a cold sweat, panting heavily. She begins to cry and buries her face in her hands.
At her bedside, stands the cloaked man… motionless, as before.
Teagan wipes her eyes and looks to the door of her room.
The cloaked man is nowhere to be seen and has gone unnoticed by Teagan.
Teagan’s eyes slowly fall upon the history book on her bedside dresser, flipped open to the day’s lesson. She had studied a bit before falling asleep in an attempt to get a head start.
She soon finds herself hanging her legs off the edge of her bed and taking the book into her hands. …Again, she is drawn to the history of the Rend Ascension and its prophet leader, Red Fenris.

TEAGAN
(Bewildered, half-whispered)
“… How did you sleep, Red Fenris?…”

END SCENE

INT. CASTLE CORRIDOR -- MORNING
Teagan marches briskly down a large hallway, passing by large windows. The sun shines brightly through, almost heavenly. She has the history book hugged against her chest. She is clad in a very regal-looking dress, crimson in color. Her brown hair is in wondrous locks. The difference between her late-night appearance in the Castle library and her appearance now is significant.
She passes several inhabitants of the castle on her way. Guards. Maids. Butlers. …And then some she doesn’t expect.
She passes a handful of noble folk coming from the direction of the Library. Ambassadors…
She passes them wearily. They greet her warmly, and she returns the favor with a modest acknowledgment. Whenever there were Ambassadors around, her parents were up to something that would usually require her to partake in some sort of event.
She presses onward, a bit quicker.
END SCENE.

INT. CASTLE LIBRARY -- MORNING
Teagan enters the large library that she and Matthias had been in the night before, immediately spotting him across the room looking through a telescope to the kingdom below. She hurries to him, almost running.

TEAGAN
(Whispered)
“Matthias!”
Matthias looks up.

MATTHIAS
“Ah, good morning, your Highness.”

TEAGAN
(Whispered, worked up)
“Matthias, there are Ambassadors in the hall!”
She looks over her shoulder at the door to the hallway, and then back at Matthias who smiles.

MATTHIAS
“Trust me, I’ve taken notice.”

TEAGAN
(Whispered, worked up)
“I hate Ambassadors!”
Matthias can’t help but look at Teagan’s reaction and laugh. He places a hand on her shoulder and begins guiding her to his office.

MATTHIAS
(Amused)
“So I’ve come to suspect. A bit early for your lesson, aren’t you?”

TEAGAN
(Normally)
“I woke up earlier than intended.”

MATTHIAS
(Worried)
“Oh, heavens. The dream?”
Teagan looks around the library as they walk, and nods. The history book is pressed firmly to her chest still. She rests her chin on it.

MATTHIAS
“Come. Let’s speak in here.”
He opens his office door for Teagan.

END SCENE

INT. MATTHIAS’ OFFICE -- MORNING
Matthias’ office is filled with old scholarly artifacts. Globes, maps, measuring devices, bones, and loads of paperwork. It’s a very small space, intended for only Matthias, and one other; usually someone seeking council or knowledge.
He sits at his desk. Teagan sits in a chair before his desk. The layout is very much like a principal’s office in a school.

MATTHIAS
“So, your dream has returned, has it?”

TEAGAN
(Hesitant)
“…Again. Yes. …But…”

MATTHIAS
“…But, what?”

TEAGAN
“…There were changes. It was different, this time.”
Teagan exhales heavily and looks to the ceiling, slumping back into her seat, book in her lap.

MATTHIAS
“Changes? A different dream, then? Well that‘s rather promising, I must say.”
Teagan shakes her head.

TEAGAN
(Stressed)
“No, it was the same dream. …Just longer. It played out more.”

Matthias sits silently for a moment as if defeated. Then he suddenly comes to as Teagan unexpectedly continues.

TEAGAN (CONT’D)
“It always left off with everyone being thankful and happy…”
Teagan sits up, on the edge of the seat, looking at the cover of the history book as she recalls.
TEAGAN (CONT’D)
“…But this time, it didn‘t end happily. …My companion disappeared. …And someone else approached.”

MATTHIAS
(Perplexed)
“Another ally?”

TEAGAN
“Afraid not. This one was plagued by two demons… latched to his body as if they were a part of him. …It was all rather terrifying. …They caressed him as if they’d never felt flesh… whispered things to him in eerie voices…”
MATTHIAS
“…Well, what did they say?”

TEAGAN
“…Destroy the Muse. …That it has taken everything. It made no sense to me.”

MATTHIAS
“Muse, you say?”

Teagan nods.

TEAGAN
“…What is it?”

MATTHIAS
“A great many things to a great many people, I’m afraid. But the most common definition is a source of inspiration. My muse, for example, is the power of knowledge. To truly see the world-”

TEAGAN
(Interrupting)
“…You must truly know the world.”

Matthias shrugs his hands with a smile as if to say “there you have it”.

TEAGAN (CONT’D)
“…But it makes no sense. I don’t know what they were talking about. …They weren’t telling it to me, anyway…”
She drifts off to silence toward the end, and emerges once more with a heavy breath and a sigh.

TEAGAN (CONT’D)
(Sarcastic, joking)
“A silly dream, a ruse of the mind, I know, I know. All in good time, etcetera, etcetera…”

Matthias chuckles and nods. Teagan places the history book on his desk.
TEAGAN (CONT’D)
“Subject change. So, I read the chapter on Maugrim and Leontyne… about their pivotal last stand at The Upsweep and the founding of Tethys…”

MATTHIAS
(Amused)
“Ah, yes. The Upsweep. Fantastic era. …But it will have to be addressed at another time, I’m afraid.”

TEAGAN
(Lost)
“…What?”

MATTHIAS
“We’ve some business to attend to. No lesson today.”

TEAGAN
(Appalled)
“…You’re joking? I read for almost two hours before I went back to sleep last night, and a little extra this morning before coming here!”

MATTHIAS
“Well you’re definitely on the ball, I’ll give you that.”
Matthias rises from his seat, shuffles his mess of papers into neat piles, quickly, and then makes for the door, urging Teagan to stand.
Teagan stands, mouth slowly gaping more and more in realization of what has come to pass.

TEAGAN
(In realization)
“Those bloody Ambassadors got to you, didn’t they!?”

Matthias laughs and opens the door, holding it open as he motions for her to head out first.

MATTHIAS
“Yes, yes. But more importantly, …your Father. A full day of horseback riding and politics, awaits.”

Teagan stares at him blankly, as if all of her energy had been sucked out of her.
MATTHIAS
(Sarcastically)
“Ah, you look thrilled.”

Teagan continues to stare at him blankly. She crosses her arms.

MATTHIAS
(Sarcastically)
“… I’ll ask you once and only once to hide your enthusiasm, Your Highness. I pray I don’t have to pry your excited little hands off of the more handsome of the male Ambassadors.”

TEAGAN
(Amused, but trying to hide it)
“…Yes, well… you might be right. I might try to get my hands on one or two… Choking one has always been a dream of mine. Back when my dreams were much more pleasant… ahhh yes.”

Matthias smiles and watches her leave the room, shaking his head.

MATTHIAS
(Calling out to her)
“Behave, you.”
Matthias follows.
END SCENE
EXT. KINGDOM OF TETHYS -- MORNING
The streets are crowded with people. Merchants urge buyers to browse their wares. Children frolic about. People stand in the doorways and balconies of their homes to bask in the sun of this beautiful day. Music reverberates throughout the kingdom… all from different sources, playing different songs… and yet harmonizing.
KING REINHARDT of Tethys, with his wife, QUEEN JUNEAUX, are atop horses, riding at a walk’s pace with company behind them. They are followed by several guards, the AMBASSADORS, TEAGAN, and MATTHIAS.
KING REINHARDT
(Addressing the Ambassadors)
“I pray that you all may find the vitality within these walls, pleasant.”
Reinhardt sends a few smiles and greetings to commoners as they march on by a cluster of them.

AMBASSADOR #1
(Astonished)
“I’ve never seen a more lively kingdom, Lord Reinhardt.”

REINHARDT
(Proudly)
“Yes, well, we here in Tethys have much to celebrate. Our history is wholesome. We are a truly proud lot.”

QUEEN JUNEAUX
“You will notice, Ambassadors, that we march through the heart of the kingdom; that we mingle with its people in the most frequented sector.”

AMBASSADOR #2
“It’s refreshing, I must say, to venture through a kingdom with its King and Queen… rather than sneak out the back door with them.”

King Reinhardt nods to no one in particular and chuckles. The flanks of all of the riders are now filled with commoners as they enter the busiest district, the very center of Tethys.
The people yell their praises, and the King and Queen respond with outstretched hands, smiles, and greetings. Even Teagan joins in.

REINHARDT
“Those are false Kings and Queens, friend. They lack trust in their people. They do not look upon their people as the essence of what makes them. They deem those they lead as miscreants… vermin… when in reality, several of those condemned few would make a more suitable King or Queen than their own.”

JUNEAUX
“Tethys was founded on the belief that anyone, even outcasts, would be welcome here with open arms. We are a nation built on the strength of one another.”

AMBASSADOR #3
“As all nations should be, milady. Now I truly understand why other kingdoms look upon Tethys with such revere.”

AMBASSADOR #1
“Quite right.”
The handful of riders slowly encroach upon the main gate that leads to the outlying lands surrounding the kingdom. The lush green hills can be seen through the orifice of the gate.
AMBASSADOR #1
“…Pardon my questioning, Lady Juneaux, but you mentioned that even outcasts are welcome into your kingdom with open arms? The likes of which are what? Exiles? Murderers? The average criminal?”

JUNEAUX
“Your curiosity is welcomed, Ambassador. But outcast is not synonymous with criminal. Wanderers. Vagrants. Those are the types we welcome. There is no application process to become a citizen of Tethys. We only ask that you swear fealty to some extent at the gate and present your self to the royal house for a welcome.”

REINHARDT
“But, understand, should they be unlawful within our walls, the proper punishment will be given. You are granted a clean slate in Tethys, but misuse our trust and the trust of your peers, and you become most unwelcome.”

They walk through the gate, now on a somewhat trampled dirt road leading to the outlying lands.
Teagan is the last to reach the gate. She hesitates as she eyes the dirt road. The very dirt road which, in her dream, cracks open and releases demons unto the world. The look on her face is worrisome. As the others continue onward, Teagan brings her horse to a full halt. Matthias slows his pace and looks back at her, urging her to quickly follow.
She hesitantly follows and joins the rest of the group with a slow gallop to catch up. She and Matthias look at each other, each seeming to understand the situation, but it is quickly dismissed.

AMBASSADOR #1
“An interesting tradition.”

REINHARDT
“To most. Our axiom in this land is ‘Two are abandoned, one at a time. Two are united at once.”

Teagan, having caught a sudden interest in the conversation, begins to speak as she quickens her horses pace to get alongside her father.

TEAGAN
“That axiom refers to the two original founders of Tethys. Maugrim and Leontyne.”

Reinhardt looks at his daughter, somewhat amused that she is partaking in conversation around politicians. She hardly ever does.
TEAGAN (CONT’D)
“Both of them were abandoned by their kingdoms for being labeled criminals. Leontyne was a savage crusader of Grayveil; shrewish and ill-tempered. Never met a man on the battlefield she couldn’t best. She fought a war that she overtime grew to despise… and went rogue. She became a mercenary, and for that, was branded a deserter of war and a criminal.”

AMBASSADOR #2
“And what of Maugrim?”

Reinhardt and Juneaux continue to eye their daughter amusedly. Matthias looks on from the rear with a smile.

TEAGAN
“Maugrim claimed he was a warden from Lumina, personal guard to the High Priestess, Dziewanna. The rumor is that he fell in love with Dziewanna and was tried for high treason for attempting to woo her. He was to be beheaded, but managed an escape. Shortly thereafter, for reasons unknown, Dziewanna went mad. Her ties to the Gods became abnormal and she began to preach of destruction. She eventually rounded up the majority of Lumina as loyal followers. Brainwashed religious zealots.”

REINHARDT
“Leontyne and Maugrim were destined to meet; two exiles on the run. When the world turned a blind eye to Dziewanna’s crusade of madness, the two of them took up arms and went to war against the High Priestess.”

TEAGAN
“They held their last stand against Dziewanna on a place not far from here called The Upsweep. They were victorious… and decided to create a village which grew into Tethys over centuries.”

The Ambassadors eat up the history lecture. These few were from the outlands across the sea and came with the intention of learning new things and obtaining new allies.
Reinhardt looks back at Matthias with a laugh.
REINHARDT
(Proudly)
“You’ve taught her well, Matthias.”

MATTHIAS
(Humbly)
“She is a wonderful student.”
The lot of them continue onward to a clearing; an expanse of green, grassy hills, ponds, and clusters of trees and brush.
END SCENE

EXT. KINGDOM OF TETHYS, BORDERLANDS -- DAY

Reinhardt, Juneaux, Matthias, the Ambassadors, and the few Guards have dismounted at a pond. Some of the horses are drinking. They are engaged in incoherent conversations about distant lands and other politics.
Teagan takes this moment to wander a little ways off, hugging herself loosely. She is obviously still feeling uneasy about her dream.
She heads to the other end of the pond. The bay is lined with several very small trees.
She kneels here, playing with the water a bit out of sheer boredom.
She skips a few stones, eyeing her parents and their company.

TEAGAN
(Fixated)
“…Destroy the Muse… taken everything… what’s the Muse?”
…In the reflection on the pond, the Hooded Man from her nightmare stands directly behind her.
For the first time since her nightmare, Teagan notices the man and gasps, slumping onto her backside and backing away from the pond as quickly as possible.
She looks behind her and then up at her parents and the others. They didn’t notice her gasp.
Teagan is still on the ground, trembling and in shock. She looks behind herself once more before rising to her feet, eyes never once leaving the pond.

Voice on the wind
“…Run…”

Teagan grabs hold of some of her dress in her hands as she slowly steps toward the pond, unable to hear the voice on the wind. She is terrified.

TEAGAN
(Said to herself)
“…Come on, Teagan, there’s nothing there. You’re losing it.”
She inches closer… and just before her head makes it over the pond, she takes one final, quick, snap of a step as if she was trying to surprise whatever was in the water… if there was anything at all.
She pants heavily upon noticing nothing.

Reinhardt, having noticed his daughter over the shoulders of the Ambassadors, watches her curiously. From Reinhardt’s point of view, it would appear as if Teagan was playing with her reflection.
She keeps playing peek-a-boo with the pond, making sure nothing is truly there… and then rubs her eyes. When she looks up at her father, she sees him smiling with a bit of curiosity. She smiles back, a bit embarrassed, and shrugs.
He motions for her to join them.

VOICE ON THE WIND
“…Teagan… Run…”

Teagan nods at her father, and as the group begins to take a stroll, Teagan stops dead in her tracks. A bitter wind brushes across her face, tossing up a few locks of her hair.
She stares at the ground, wavered by an uneasy feeling. …As if she was not alone.

VOICE ON THE WIND
“Run, now, Teagan…”

Teagan’s eyes grow wide in disbelief. She begins to back up… not exactly knowing why. She looks at her parents and the Ambassadors.
She wanted so much to run to them… but something inside… wouldn’t let her.

VOICE ON THE WIND
“Get out of here, Teagan…”

Teagan grabs her chest… there was a great pressure… and she was beginning to lose her breath. She takes an attempt at moving forward… but it feels wrong.
TEAGAN
(Hurting, as if fighting off an urge)
“…Why-? …What is this?…”

VOICE ON THE WIND
“Can’t you hear me? You need to run… It’s the only way.”
Teagan takes another step back. Tears begin to roll down her cheeks as she watches her parents walk further away. She outstretches her right hand toward them… as if trying to grab them up from afar… and clenches her left hand into a tight fist against her chest.
The look upon her face now is of utter emotional pain.
TEAGAN
(Hurting)
“…I have to run…”
More tears fall. The fist against her chest tightens… and her outstretched hand is now stiffened… her fingers extending out as far as they can. She drops to a knee as if a sudden heavy weight had shoved her down. Something was overpowering her…

TEAGAN
(Hurting, crying)
“…But I can’t. …I can’t. …I won’t. Why can‘t I decide?… why can‘t I move? …What is this!?!?”

Reinhardt looks over his shoulder, seeing his daughter with her hand outstretched… bawling… and he immediately abandons the group, running for her, screaming her name.

REINHARDT
“Teagan!? TEAGAN!?”

TEAGAN
(Bawling)
“FATHER!!!”

REINHARDT
“I’m coming, Teagan!”

VOICE ON THE WIND
“…No. You can’t stay here…”

The fist clenched to Teagan’s chest begins to bleed. The blood drips down her chest and in between her bosom.
A few droplets of her blood begin to mysteriously hover into the air. She watches in disbelief as the few drops float before her face… and slowly begin to ascend into the sky.
They are followed by blades of grass… rocks… and then the pond water itself.
Reinhardt begins to close in on Teagan. Juneaux and the others trail behind.
Teagan shoots her approaching father a glance as the last airborne drop of blood fades from view.

VOICE ON THE WIND
“…Move your ass!”

The voice on the wind suddenly hits her; she hears it for the first time. Her eyes snap wide open and she looks at her approaching father momentarily before rising to her feet, turning… and sprinting in the opposite direction!

REINHARDT
“TEAGAN!?! TEAGAN, COME BACK!!!”

Teagan runs for Tethys with all of her might, breathing heavily and crying all at once. She hears her father behind her, and it wrenches at her heart. Why was she not able to run the other way? What was stopping her? …What was happening?

END SCENE

EXT. KINGDOM OF TETHYS, ENTRANCE -- DAY

TEAGAN continues to sprint furiously for Tethys. It was the only place she could think of that she could go.
She was back on the main road to the front gate. REINHARDT was still calling out for her as he attempted to chase her down. But Teagan was much too fast; pumped with adrenaline and an unknown motive.
She looks over her shoulder at her father, wanting so much to turn right around… but that thought alone burned her insides and forced her to continue on her path. She bawls loudly, facing her head forward once more, swiping at her eyes as she runs in an attempt to dry them.
As she does this, she runs into something…
She shoulder rams the HOODED MAN… and in an instant that seems to last forever, meets his eyes from the dark of his hood as she begins falling to the dirt road below.
She topples onto the ground a bit violently, rolls once, and comes to a stop flat on her belly.
Breathing heavily, she looks up at the Hooded Man in fear, paying no heed to the scrape on her left forearm from her rolling along the road.
He only looks back down at her with a stoic expression…

REINHARDT
“TEAGAN!!!”
Teagan could not hear her father because of the fear that now gripped her. She remains on her belly, unable to move, eyes still fixated on the Hooded Man who now turns his attention onto her father.

HOODED MAN
(Calmly)
“…So it begins.”

Teagan begins to stir. As she does, the ground trembles…

HOODED MAN
“I don’t have long, Teagan. It’s all crashing down, now.”

Teagan begins to freak out as the trembling intensifies. The ground beneath her begins to crack… an all too familiar purple hue stems from underneath.

TEAGAN
(Terrified)
“NOOOO!!!!”

HOODED MAN
“…You have to keep going.”

The sound of earth being torn asunder thunders through the air. The cracks expand, ripping the road in half. Teagan screams at the top of her lungs as the chasm from her dream manifests right before her eyes. She stands and begins running toward Tethys once more.
The chasm grows… and soon, the plains that laid before Tethys become clusters of shattering rock and soil. Purple fire creeps from the depths, spewing out onto the landscape… birthing with it, the demons in Teagan’s dream.
Reinhardt nearly loses his balance as the earth around him is slowly torn away. He is surrounded by flame and a bottomless trench with no more running room.
Teagan sprints through the city gate… but as if suddenly remembering her father, turns about and exit’s the city once more, only to see him in his grave predicament.

TEAGAN
“FATHER!!!”

Demons climb from the depths surrounding Reinhardt and encircle him.

TEAGAN
“NO!!! NO!!!”

The Hooded Man, who had once been further down the road, now stands in the gate of Tethys, just behind Teagan. He looks on calmly.

HOODED MAN
(Calmly)
“…His fate is regrettable, Teagan. But you can’t stop now.”

Teagan can only look on with damp eyes and a hoarse throat as her father is smothered in writhing masses of the demons. One last gargled scream…

REINHARDT
“TEA-!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

…And then there’s nothing.
Teagan goes into shock. She slumps weakly to her knees in defeat. She stares blankly into the distance as the demons all begin staring right back at her.
Somewhere at the back of the road, her mother, Matthias, and the others scream in horror… but Teagan doesn’t react.
The ground overturns beside her, and she begins to fall…
The Hooded Man grabs her by the hand. She dangles above the chasm, looking down at the darkness below. A void. Nothingness on fire. Demons climb the chasm walls and begin reaching for her… but the Hooded Man pulls her up and stands her upright, taking her face into his hands. She has little choice but to look under the hood, back into his eyes.

HOODED MAN
“…I know it hurts, Teagan. I know it doesn’t make sense. But you need to live. And what’s left of me in here will make sure of it.”

Teagan stares blankly at him, still emotionless, it would seem.

HOODED MAN
“Whatever’s left of me will be back for you. Run, Teagan. I’ll find you.”

He kisses her on the forehead… and she begins to slowly snap out of her state of shock. She begins to cry yet again, going limp in the mans arms.

TEAGAN
(Defeated, crying)
“…Who are you? What’s happening?”

HOODED MAN
“…I’ll get back to you on those answers. But now isn’t the time. Get going.”
He shoves her toward the gate.

Teagan, reluctantly obeying, takes off into the city, leaving the Hooded Man behind.
The Hooded Man stands at the gate, head down as the demons approach. He can feel their breath on him now as they surround him.
…but they do not harm him.

DEMONS
“DESTROY THE MUSE!!!!”

The Hooded Man closes his eyes as the gargled onslaught of whispers erupts all around him. They look at the man wantonly… some even reach out and touch him…

HOODED MAN
“…No.”

DEMONS
“DESTROY IT!!!”

HOODED MAN
“…I won’t.”

A single demon approaches from the mob, hugging the Hooded Man from behind. It tugs back his hood, revealing the man for who he really is. Dark brown hair, brown eyes. Seemingly in his thirties with a bit of stubble on his face.

EMBRACING DEMON
“IT HAS CAUSED SUCH PAIN.”

The demon licks the man’s ear… and the man remains still.

HOODED MAN
“No. This is how it was supposed to be. I didn’t know it before… but this is how it happens.”

EMBRACING DEMON
“WE ARE CONFUSED. WE ARE MISGUIDED.”

HOODED MAN
“…We are enemies.”

EMBRACING DEMON
“ENEMIES? NO. WE ARE THE SAME.”

HOODED MAN
“…Not anymore.”

The demon withdraws and circles the man, hissing violently. Its eyes afire with purple, it leans forward, face to face with the man this time. It gropes at him sexually, fondling his privates through his pants before throwing a tantrum, roaring aloud. The other demons in the area follow suit and throw a similar tantrum.

DEMON
“TEAGAN MUST BE VANQUISHED! TETHYS MUST BE VANQUISHED! ALL OF THIS MUST BE VANUQISHED!”

The man, steps toward the demon, getting back in its face.

HOODED MAN
“You can try to consume it all, but I’ll stop you in the end.”

DEMON
“YOU ARE POWERLESS. YOU ARE OURS.”

HOODED MAN
“No, you are mine! All of this is mine!”

DEMON
“THE MUSE-”

HOODED MAN
(Interrupting)
“TEAGAN WILL LIVE!”

There is a moment of silence. Several of the hundreds of demons surrounding the Hooded Man emit low growls...

DEMON
(Appaled)
"...YOU WOULD WAR WITH YOURSELF FOR THE MUSE!?"

HOODED MAN
"...I've been warring with myself for a decade, already. Teagan will escape us. For the good of the world."

DEMON
"THE WORLD...?"

The demon erupts into a sickening laughter. The others follow suit, as if they were all one entity.
And then they all cease at once.

DEMON
"THIS IS OUR WORLD, BYRON. THE WORLD OF WHICH YOU SPEAK IS INSIGNIFICANT."

BYRON
"Insignificant only to those who aren't a part of it."

DEMON
"HMPH. HUMANITY. YOU ARE SCARCELY HUMAN, YOURSELF. LOOK UPON US. SEE WHAT YOU HAVE BECOME."

BYRON
"...I still have time to fix things. My mind is still my own, even as it falls apart."
The Demon reaches for Byron's throat but stops short... as if it didn't have the power to cause him harm. It recoils its claw-like hand quickly and roars angrily.

BYRON
"...You don't have the power yet, demon. ...Soon. But not yet."

The Demon backs up, snarling...

DEMON
"SEE TO YOUR PET. QUICKLY... LEST WHAT'S LEFT OF YOU WITHERS AND DIES."

BYRON
"Nothing's absolute. Don't forget... you're in MY world. I still have a few tricks up my sleeve."

DEMON
"THERE IS NO TRICK THAT CAN SAVE A MIND IN DESCENT."

The Demons begin to disperse... heading toward Tethys, in pursuit of Teagan once more.

DEMON
"... WE STORM YOUR SANITY. PLAY YOUR GAMES. ...SHE WILL DIE."

The Demon turns, and like a bat out of hell, takes off toward Tethys with the mob of his kin. Like an ocean of shadow, they pass over the landscape... leaving Byron standing alone.

END SCENE

[Kerrigan]

EXT. KINGDOM OF TETHYS, MAIN DISTRICT -- DAY

The kingdom folk are going about their daily chores. Two middle aged MEN, each carrying baskets of tailoring materials and exchanging banter, are heading from the market with their recently purchased goods, walking the main road from the gate to their respective homes.

MAN 1
(On the verge of laughing)
“The castle? Hah!”

MAN 2
(Amused)
“The castle, indeed. A friend of mine knows the old ins and outs, he does. This time, not two days from now, I’ll be making dresses for the royal ladies!”

MAN 1
(Jealous)
“Bah! …Dresses for the royal ladies, he says… wouldn‘t be surprising in the least if you made poor Teagan look like a bloated, half-wit, wench what churns butter for her grandchildren‘s breakfasts!”

The man laughs weezily, stopping a moment to cough up through his blackened lungs before resuming said laughter. The other man shakes his head, laughing at his friends joke just as well.

Without a moment’s notice, Teagan sprints through the both of them, stumbling and nearly falling in the process. She also manages to force both men to drop their goods to the road. She is hurried and her tear-stained face is only noticeable for a short moment before she regains her footing and continues her sprint toward the castle… leaving the two bewildered old men to pick up after her.

MAN 2
(Worried, calling out)
“Lady Teagan!”


MAN 1
(Worried, calling out)
“I-I didn’t mean it, Milady! His dresses are wonderful! Truly! You’ll look wondrous!…”


The men start picking up their goods.


MAN 2
“Now look what you’ve gone, you dolt!”


MAN 1
“I meant nothing by it, just joking, like always!”


MAN 2
“Well you’ve done got the Princess in tears! Off to tell her father, no doubt…”


The two exchange a little more banter, out of earshot.

…There is a sudden rumbling, forcing the men to stop speaking mid-sentence and eye their surroundings. They look at the sky, and one even sticks their hand out to check for rain.

MAN 1
“… What is that?”


The sky is clear. No signs of rain. The ground trembles, now… and then a terrifying chorus of screams abounds from behind them.

The two men turn around abruptly, now facing the direction from which Teagan had come. They are met with a black mass exploding through the main gate walls. Buildings, ground, trees… all structures are tossed to the sky or ripped and tossed aside.

…A stampede of destruction.

What little people are visible fleeing from the market on the main road, toward the men, are engulfed by charging demons.

Oddly enough, when the demons come into contact with anyone, they drown them like clouds… like water enveloping and passing over an object. Once they pass over their prey… they leave nothing but a silhouette of ash in the shape of the individual… soulless vestiges of gray ash …and purple cinder.

The two men begin to flee… but aren’t quick enough. A swarm of stampeding demons treads closely behind and brushes over them ferociously with claw-like motions and roars.

…The men’s screaming is cut short on account of them being turned to mannequins of ash.

The demonic figures split up, scouring the kingdom for Teagan.

Amidst all of the carnage, there is a singular, stoic demon… the DEMON that had interacted with Byron earlier on.

It walks the charred path left behind by its comrades, surveying the destruction and taking deep, slow, eerie breaths…

It passes by the ashy vestiges of the two old men in the road and as it does, it brushes a hand through one of them… causing them to crumble and pour to the ground in pieces. The ashes catch the wind and begin swirling upward and away as the Demon’s gaze falls upon the shadow of the castle buried deep into the kingdom, in the distance. The buildings and everything else that had been destroyed behind and before the Demon, begin to levitate into the air… where they mysteriously freeze in some sort of odd stasis. The kingdom was now utterly in disorder…

A few stray lesser demons scurry up to the Demon and look onward toward the castle, sharing the same gaze.

END SCENE

[Kerrigan]

INT. CASTLE -- DAY

Teagan arrives at the castle, sweaty and winded. Bells toll in the distance, a signal of siege upon the kingdom. The castle halls are filled with ruckus. Servants flee from their quarters. Guards rush toward the kingdom gate. Everyone within these walls is either fleeing or hurrying to their death.

As Teagan shoves her way through guards and other servants to get deeper into the castle, they shove in the opposite direction to escape. She is the only one heading inward.

She arrives at her room… which she soon realizes is no safer than being outside. She begins to panic. Out of frustration, she tosses over her vanity’s chair, sending it toppling against the wall. For the first time, she begins to show signs of anger. She screams at the top of her lungs, and about halfway through, it turns into a silent cry. She slumps onto her bed, head in her hands.

A GUARDSMAN passing by the doorway on his way out, sees Teagan and abruptly runs in.

GUARDSMAN
“Milady! Thank Heavens, you’re alright!”

Teagan looks up at the sound of his voice. She knew this Guard.

TEAGAN
(Distant)
“… Raem…”

Raem kneels at her feet at bedside, taking her hands into his as the castle grounds begin to rumble faintly.

RAEM
“Lady Teagan, we thought you for dead at the hands of these-…these, whatever they are! What of your parents? Matthias?”

Teagan’s bright blue eyes fall on Raem’s… and slowly divert to her vanity against the wall… and the History Book she’d studied before all of this.

TEAGAN
“… Gone.”

Her lips begin to quiver a bit… and she begins to crack once more. A single tear treads down her already dampened cheek.

TEAGAN (CONT’D)
“… Dead.”

Raem’s expression becomes saddened and where once his posture was firm, it becomes limp.

RAEM
(Dutiful)
“… Bloody nightmare. We have to get you to safety, milady! Come!”

Teagan shakes her head and recoils her hands from Raem’s.

TEAGAN
(Angered)
“No! Better to let me die!”

Suddenly, there is a movement from the far confines of her room, startling both Teagan and Raem, who draws his sword. BYRON stares down the battle ready Raem from beneath his hood and then looks at Teagan.

BYRON
“…Teagan, I’m afraid dying isn’t an option.”

RAEM
“Step away from her!”

Raem lifts his sword. Byron doesn’t move an inch. Teagan slowly stands up and places her gentle hands on Raem’s sword… lowering it slowly. The look on her face is stern and reassuring.

TEAGAN
“Stay your sword, Raem. He is a friend. … I think.”

RAEM
“You think? Who is this man?”

TEAGAN
“…I-… I’m not certain.”

RAEM
(Irritated)
“…Your Highness?!”

Teagan squeezes her eyelids together stressfully for a moment before taking a long breath.

BYRON
“You can trust me, Raem. I assure you, our goals are similar. Teagan will be taken to safety. But that will be my doing, not yours.”

RAEM
(Appalled)
“I’ll not trust the future of this kingdom to some stranger!”

BYRON
(Morbid)
“…This kingdom has no future…”

As if on cue, the castle rumbles, forcing Raem and Teagan to nearly lose balance. Byron manages to keep his footing. There is an onslaught of ferocious roars from just outside.

BYRON
“Raem… there are things at stake here that you can’t understand. I’m not asking for you to understand. But I am asking for you to trust me.”

Raem takes up his sword at the sound of a guard screaming down the hall. He shoots Byron an odd glance, as if he‘d suddenly become a confused child. There is a long moment in which Raem studies Byron’s eyes… as if there was a truth being revealed from within them.



RAEM
(Confused)
“…Do I know you, sir?!?”

BYRON
(Cryptic)
“…Somewhat.”

Teagan looks through the doorway, as if expecting to see something at any moment.

Raem and Byron stare at each other for a moment… and then Raem mysteriously nods…

RAEM
“… Why do I believe you?… I’ll buy you time.”

Byron nods graciously and then outstretches a hand toward Teagan.

BYRON
“We have to be quick. I’m losing my grip on this place. I’ll have to find another means, soon.”


TEAGAN
(Questioning)
“…Losing your grip?… You keep speaking like that…”

A Demon suddenly darts into the doorway, clawing in an animalistic manner at the door arch. It surveys the room… and a demented fanged smile slowly spreads over its face. This is followed up by an intense roar that rips from its shadowy throat. Bits of purple flame spew out. It was undoubtedly telling its kin that it had found Teagan.

Its roar is cut short, however, as Raem beheads it with his sword in a heavy swing. The carcass violently shifts about the hallway, spewing blackness all around.

RAEM
(To Teagan and Byron)
“MOVE!”

Teagan starts for the door, but is yanked back by Byron.


BYRON
“Grab the book.”

Teagan is in such a hurry to go, she has no time to question him. She grabs the history book and then the two run out into the hall where they are trailed by Raem.

More demons amass in the hallway, toppling and leaping over their slain comrade to pursue the trio.

Teagan looks over her shoulder at her pursuers. She is met with half a dozen disturbing faces roaring and lashing odd noises at her.

RAEM
“This way!”

Raem slows a moment to point his blackened sword at a fork in the hallways, toward the left.

RAEM
“We’ll cut through the bailey and make for the back end of the castle to the stables!”

Raem sidesteps another charging demon as Byron and Teagan take the turn down the hallway. The demon is unable to stop its momentum and plunges into the castle wall, decimating it to rubble. Before it can regain itself, Raem drives his sword downward and through its back.

He retrieves his sword and leaps over the carcass to follow the others as more demons scurry around the corner.

END SCENE

[Kerrigan]

EXT. CASTLE BAILEY -- DAY

Teagan leads the trio in a scramble across the bailey courtyard. Byron follows closely behind, joined by Raem.

RAEM
“They haven’t made it this far yet! Keep going!”
The alarm bell that had been tolling suddenly adopts a deep moan and ceases to ring any more. Teagan looks upward at the bell tower.

There she sees a demon at the top, latched to the wall like a lizard. It peers down at her through fiery purple eyes and lifts its head to the sky, shrieking loudly as the bell from the tower falls toward the ground and crashes into the castle with an ominous final ring.

BYRON
(Unnaturally calm)
“It’s seen us… It‘s calling.”

RAEM
“We’re almost there! Onward!”

Teagan doesn’t take her eyes off of the demon right away. Raem needs to gently shove her forward to get her to move.

They dash through a series of indoor and outdoor passages until these passages spit them out to the stables. Just as they emerge, the demon from the bell tower slams to the ground before them, taking a ferocious leap at the trio.

In a moment that seems to last forever, Byron tackles Teagan aside and flat to the ground, allowing for the beast to leap over them… missing them by a hair.

Raem, however, is not so fortunate. The demon engulfs him… and once it has passed over, Raem is naught but ash…

Teagan gets a single glance at Raem’s ashy visage as Byron helps her to her feet and onto a frightened horse.


END SCENE


EXT. TETHYS OUTSKIRTS -- DUSK

BYRON and TEAGAN are on horseback, with Byron at the reigns. Teagan clutches tightly to him and makes attempts at looking over her shoulder at the castle. Once she gets a clear view, she tugs on Byron’s trench coat.


TEAGAN
(Worried)
“…Faster!”

Byron looks over his own shoulder.

A sea of blackness begins to rush out from the castle… a familiar sight. The demons were still in pursuit… and they were closing in fast.

TEAGAN
“They’re too fast!”

The castle, now shattered into a dozen pieces, begins to float ominously into the air, hovering just over where it had stood only minutes ago.

Byron makes some attempts at quickening the horse, but to no avail.

BYRON
(Worried, but still unusually calm)
“We can’t go any faster. It‘s only a horse.”

Teagan tries to kick at the horses flanks… but Byron is right.

An onslaught of shrieks causes the two of them to look over their shoulders again. The demons were closer now. Their fiery eyes and gnawing jaws could be seen a bit too close for comfort.

Some are quicker than the others… and it is those ones that reach Teagan and Byron first. They gallop alongside the rear of the horse.

Byron takes evasive maneuvers to throw them off balance or dodge their attacks.

Teagan screams as one of the demons takes a daring leap, only to be misguided by Byron’s steering.

A crescent of black begins to arc around them as a hungry army of the demons closes in to mere feet… and then inches.

Thousands of claws are outstretched, reaching for Teagan.

Teagan begins to pant as if she was out of breath. Her chest tightens and she draws her right hand to her breast, gasping for air.

BYRON
“…Teagan!?”

More gasping. She clenches her eyes tightly. When she reopens them, the iris and pupils have gone bright white. They appeared now as rings of light with the normal dull white sclera of the eye as their backdrops.

A sudden scream rips from her throat; not a scream of pain… but one reminiscent of a battle cry. There is a flash of light…

The demons in pursuit are hindered by what could only be described as a shockwave, emanating from Teagan. The majority of them are torn asunder. The others fall back.

Teagan goes limp and unconscious against Byron’s back as the two ride into the distance.

END SCENE

[Howling Wind]

I didn't read all of it yet because I have to help my mom out soon but I really like it so far. I know someone who is a writer and I saw some of his work. So I can say that it looks really good and professional. I can picture it really good in my mind and that is always good! ^^

[Kerrigan]

Thankies! I believe you're the first official comment, so thx for that! I love feedback. I hope you can read it soon :-) Working on the next couple scenes which are sort of where everything is revealed to Teagan. They'll be up soon.

Thx again!

[Howling Wind]

Yeah I will probably read more today or tomorrow! Now that its the week end I will have more time. Keep up the good work! =^.^=

[Kerrigan]

EXT. THE UPSWEEP -- NIGHT

Byron stands at a small campfire in the center of a set of ruins. The ruins are nestled in between upsweeps of earth that literally look like waves of rock passing over and shielding the ruins.

Teagan is nestled under his cloak near the fire, passed out.

Byron has his hands to the fire, but he looks oddly translucent. He can see the fire through his own hands. He looks like a ghost.


BYRON
(Mumbled to self)
“…A few tricks up my sleeve, indeed…”

Teagan begins to stir and she soon sits up a bit wearily. Upon seeing Byron, she realizes that what had come to pass was no dream. She frantically looks around.


TEAGAN
“…The Demons!?”

Byron shakes his head. Teagan notices how calm he is from the corner of her eyes and tries to regain her composure as she takes a closer look at her surroundings.



TEAGAN
“…The Upsweep?… Not a dream, then?”


BYRON
(Amused)
“Calling it a dream would be as close to the real thing as the next…”


TEAGAN
(Insistent)
“But those Demons! They were after us! I felt their eyes tearing me to shreds from afar… their roars lashing at my back! What happened?”

BYRON
“The reason why they want you, happened. You blossomed, so to speak. In short, you erupted… and slew the black sea at our backs.”

Teagan shows signs of being lost. In a confused state, she takes a few attempts at a response, but can find none.

She sit’s a moment in silence with an expression that usually accompanied deeper thoughts.

TEAGAN
(Remembering, Confused)
“… Erupted? …I did, I-… to what end?…”

Teagan finally catches a good glance at Byron. She could see right through him. She gasps and stands up.

BYRON
(Calm, reassuring)
“… A fading man is the least of your worries, Teagan. Stay calm.”

He lifts his head to the sky, holding his hand before his eyes. He could see the stars through his hand.


TEAGAN
(Demanding, stressed)
“I need answers!”

She runs a hand through her hair stressfully and she begins to pace to-and-fro.

TEAGAN
“…What the hell is going on!?!”


Byron looks at her silently. Teagan was on the brink of a breakdown it seemed. He nods.


BYRON
“I promised you answers, didn’t I?”

He wanders from his current spot, over to Teagan.

Teagan looks at him uneasily. She looks through him, at the ruins just beyond. She is unsure of what to think or say. The look on her face seemed to say that she wanted to run, as if from a ghost.


BYRON
“… I believe an introduction is in order. My name is Byron. Byron Wolfe.”

Teagan doesn’t move. At this point, she is achingly curious was to why she is so accepting of conversing with a translucent man.

TEAGAN
(Thinking deeply, as if recalling the name)
“…Byron Wolfe. … I know you…?”



BYRON
“…Somewhat.”


TEAGAN
(Abruptly, almost interrupting)
“Enough! Enough with your charade! Raem felt the same way and you gave him the same answer!”


BYRON
“I did.”


TEAGAN
“Why!? I’ve never seen you in my entire life! And yet I’m compelled to follow you to the ends of the world! Compelled to flee with you as my kingdom is destroyed by nightmarish-… things! To not have a moment’s grievance for my fallen family! To pay no heed that you are as a ghost before my very eyes. WHY!?”

She is on the verge of crying. Byron only stares her down.

Teagan falls to her knees and looks at the fire. She shakes her head… and two tears fall silently down her cheeks. One from each eye.


TEAGAN
(Defeated)
“ … I know you. … But how?…”


BYRON
“Teagan…”

He kneels next to her, following her gaze into the flame.


BYRON
“… I’ve spent a very long time preparing for this very moment. But I’m afraid all of that preparation has gone to waste, now. What I’m about to tell you would break most people in ways I’m too frightened to mention. …But you’re not most people. … You’re the only one that can understand.”

He stands and turns away from her…


BYRON
(Slowly)
“I’m a writer, Teagan. And you… you are my Muse.”


Teagan abruptly turns about at the mention of the word ‘Muse’. She stands up slowly…


TEAGAN
(Cautious)
“…Muse? … What-…?”


BYRON
(Hesitant)
“…Teagan, you’re a fictional creation. You’re… not real.”


Teagan stares blankly at him…

TEAGAN
(Lost)
“… Wh-…?”


BYRON
“To put in layman’s terms, you’re a character that I created a very long time ago. I created you in my head. Head to toe. Your personality, your face, your knack for history… your parents. Tethys. Your very world… I created it all, up here.”

He turns around to face her, tapping his finger twice lightly on his head.

Teagan has no response. She begins to shake her head in disbelief.


BYRON
“Teagan, you’ve been having a dream as of late. A nightmare. Have you not?”


She stops shaking her head and nods, still silent…


BYRON
“…Me too. A dream of those things that you call ‘Demons’, hunting you down. Of me clad in my cloak… and of another, clad in armor.”


TEAGAN
(Confused)
“H-how did you-…”


BYRON
“It was this dream that first alluded to me what must be done. The demons sought you… and where I come from, my world, if they seek you, then that means you are one of a kind. They want to destroy you. So that you may never pass.”


TEAGAN
(Irritated)
“Pass? Pass where!?”



BYRON
“… To my world.”

Teagan’s eyes look about worriedly.


TEAGAN
“You’re mad!!!”

She backs up from him.


TEAGAN
“You spit heresy!!! You’re a fool, not a prophet or a God! You‘re the false one here, not I!!!”


She turns and runs. Byron doesn’t show any signs of chasing after her. …Because he doesn’t need to.

Teagan suddenly stops dead in her tracks. A familiar feeling overcomes her…

From afar, Byron watches.


BYRON
“…Back on the road, when your father was chasing after you, you felt compelled to run in the opposite direction. Despite your emotions, you were forced to ignore them. …And you didn’t know why.”


Teagan looks over her shoulder at him.

BYRON
“…And now you want so badly to run away from all of this… but you can’t. You’re drawn to something beyond your understanding.”


Teagan wants desperately to take another step… but she cannot muster the willpower. Instead, she turns around to face Byron and the campfire.

Her eyes dampen again and her voice becomes a bit cracked.

TEAGAN
(Crying)
“… I wanted to run to him, but no matter what I did, how hard I tried, I was weighed down. I knew what I wanted… but-…”


Teagan tries her hardest to not cry further.


BYRON
(Jokingly)
“Allow a crazy heretic to explain?”

Teagan hesitantly nods and wipes the wetness from her eyes. She soon finds herself taking slow, cautious steps back toward Byron, closing ground slowly as she speaks…


TEAGAN
“…You’re not lying… I can feel it. It‘s… odd. It frightens me… because I know that it‘s true… and I can not turn a blind eye. What ruse is this?… Tell me, … I beg you. Why do I know such things that I‘ve never known before???”

She walks closer… and now stands on the opposite end of the campfire from Byron.

He picks up his cloak, walks around the campfire to her, and wraps the cloak around her.

He sits at her feet and she looks at him curiously before joining him. They sit in silence for a few moments, the low hum of the campfire filling the air.


BYRON
“As I said, in my world, the real world, I’m a writer. I’ve written several books of little importance. … Six years ago, I met the love of my life. Her name was Deanna. Not a year after we met, we had a child. A year after that, another. We were a wonderful, happy family. For three years, that is… And then I began to write a new book.”


Teagan looks at him, almost solemnly… and then at the fire.

TEAGAN
(Uneasily)
“…My book?…”


Byron nods. Teagan shows signs of trying to figure out why she knew these things so suddenly… and why she was so accepting of them. It was as if she’d known all along… and the truth was just dormant inside of her until this very day.

BYRON
“It was one of those moments of crazy inspiration. I sat down for days at a time in my writing studio, cut off from the rest of the world. …Cut off from my family. I wrote and wrote with no goal. I wrote blindly… and I couldn’t stop. No matter how much I wanted to see Deanna or my children, I couldn’t find it in me to stop writing. …I never left that studio; never went home. But I wanted to, more than anything…”


TEAGAN
(Low, almost whispered)
“… Like me, running from my father… “


BYRON
“…What’s worse is that it had no end… and where once I saw the world on a page, I began to live it. It became my new life. My new reality. …I lost my family to that book. To some unnatural desire to finish it; but I never could. I never saw them again. Never saw my Deanna again… In my sorrow, I found a way to remind myself of her. Here I was, a creator of this place that I could call home… with endless possibilities. So I made a character in her likeness. A priestess named Dziewanna.”


Teagan’s eyes go wide and her mouth drops.

TEAGAN
“The High Priestess Dziewanna from Lumina!? The one that Maugrim fell in love with?”


BYRON
“The very same. You see, if I could not be with her in the real world, I would be with her in the one I created…”

TEAGAN
(Slowly, in disbelief)
“…You’re… You’re Maugrim…”

Byron nods solemnly.

TEAGAN
“…But that was over a thousand years ago!”


BYRON
(Amused)
“Time in this place has no relevance to me. A thousand years ago for you, though, yes.”


TEAGAN
“…But didn’t Maugrim die at Leontyne‘s side in battle? Here in these very ruins? At the Upsweep? Against Dziewanna‘s forces?”

BYRON
“Disappeared, more like. … I ran away.”


TEAGAN
“…Why?”


BYRON
“During my time here as Maugrim, I discovered something odd. I had come here to be with Deanna… with Dziewanna. But I could not have her… even here. I had no control of anything… despite having created it all. …It took on a life of its own. A living, breathing creation that I could no longer alter. This truth, paired with the fact that I had lost my family… had driven me, quite literally, to insanity.”


Teagan looks at Byron. Byron lifts his hand to her, once more drawing her attention to the fact that he was translucent.


BYRON
“In my world, I am just a broken man losing his mind. This is the only place where I could be sane. But now, my mind’s descent is catching up with me. Soon, I‘ll have nothing left.”

Teagan is silent for a moment in thought.

TEAGAN
(Perplexed)
“…So … we’re in a book?…”

BYRON
“A bit more complicated than that, I‘m afraid. We’re in my head…”

She goes silent in thought again… and nods to herself as if she knew deep down that it was the truth.

TEAGAN
“…But why me??? Why are these demons after me? You said that I’m one of a kind. How? What justifies them turning over Tethys to get to me? For what purpose?”


BYRON
“…Those ‘demons’ are The Descent. Manifestations of my insanity. The ‘monsters in my head‘, taking over. Teagan, you’re destined to leave this world and enter the real world… to help save it. Protect it. From what, I don‘t know. …I just know that this all has been done before. Several times over. And that it’s my job to see that you make it through… to guide you out of my head. I‘m not quite sure how it works… but I do know enough to see that it happens. I have to get you out before The Descent swallows you up.”

TEAGAN
“So there’s been other Muses? In other peoples heads?”

BYRON
“In the same situation, yes. And each has had a writer who has succumbed to their own fictional world… and been driven mad.”

Teagan exhales deeply, trying to take it all in with a stressed and tired expression on her face… and then, in realization of something, continues.

TEAGAN
“…You never explained the weird feeling of being weighed down. The inability to decide…”

Byron nods.
BYRON
“That is what you Muses call, The Lure.”

TEAGAN
“The Lure?”

BYRON
“It is the irresistible draw of a Muse to their inevitable destiny. Each Muse has its own destiny. Yours was tugging at you when your father was chasing you… and when you tried to walk away from me. For lack of a better way of explaining it, you’re forced to do what your destined to do… and you cannot deny it, no matter how hard you try.”


TEAGAN
“Then my place is with you? Or I would have been able to flee…”


BYRON
“For now. And mine is with you. Until you escape this place.”

Teagan draws her knees to her chest, peering to the core of the fire.


TEAGAN
“…It all sounds so familiar. … Everything. What I really am, you, The Descent, The Lure.”

BYRON
“I suppose it would. We’ve a higher calling that has lain dormant within us… until now..”

Byron sits back, putting his weight on his hands.

BYRON
“… Fate is not without a sense of humor or an inkling for games. She’s sown a seed into us… one that sprouted over the years and didn’t reach its full size until it was meant to do so. Like you, I knew nothing; led a normal life… until it kicked in. I don’t know what this power is or where it comes from and if I had to guess, you don’t either…”

Teagan shakes her head.


BYRON
“…We’re only given the blueprints, it seems. The architect is elsewhere…”

TEAGAN
“…So we’ve a goal. We know what’s to be done. We just don’t know why. …I think I favored being oblivious.”

BYRON
(Amused)
“Well, we’re still quite oblivious in the long run.”


TEAGAN
“… How do we do it?”

Byron looks at her in question.


TEAGAN
“How do I get to the real world?”


BYRON
“We need to reach the outskirts. The Flow, where my dreams are forged. Where all of this spawned from a single thought.”

TEAGAN
“…Your imagination.”

BYRON
“Yes. From there, the rest is elementary. You must pass through everything that is me. My dreams, hopes, desires, memories. …And then you’ll be free.”

TEAGAN
“…But I’ve never seen or heard of such a place…”

BYRON
(Amused)
“I suppose you wouldn’t have. Because you weren’t meant to. Until now, of course. No worries, though. Allow yourself to be led there by someone who knows a thing or two about his own dreams… and where to find them.”

Teagan smirks and nods.

TEAGAN
“…And what of you? How do you get back to where you’re supposed to be? Are we to pass through together?”

BYRON
“… I can not pass. We Writers never can.”

Teagan snaps her head in his direction.

TEAGAN
“Well you can’t just stay here!”

BYRON
“This is the only place I’m of any use. I’ve told you, in the real world, I’m a broken, useless man. Here, I can muster what’s left of myself and be of some help. But Writer’s must sink with the ship, I’m afraid. The Descent claims us all. It’s meant to be so…”

Teagan’s eyebrows narrow.

BYRON
(Sternly)
“It’s a one way trip for a single soul, and that soul must be you. That is your part to play. I ask that you allow me to play my own…”

Teagan swallows whatever words she was about to spit… and nods.

TEAGAN
“…Fine. As fate wishes…”


BYRON
“…Thank you. Now I suggest you catch a few more hours of shut eye. The Descent does not rest. It lays waste to your world even now. Even if this world isn‘t real, you are still a part of it, and rest is still needed. I‘ll keep watch.”

Teagan looks to the fire, over her knees, getting lost in a world that had become new to her.

BYRON
“The Flow awaits. Tomorrow we seek it out… as the Descent seeks us.”


END SCENE

[Kerrigan]

EXT. DECIMATED TETHYS -- NIGHT

Tethys is in ruins. Teagan’s once proud and wondrous city is now a large pile of rubble, afire in patches.

As was seen during the attack, much of the rubble floats in the air, defying all laws of physics. As if gravity ceased to exist.

Shadows scurry about the ruins on the ground. Whispers fill the open expanses.

The burned vestige’s of the citizens are scattered throughout, mannequins of black ash and purple cinder.

DYSMAL, the apparent leader of The Descent who had spoken with Byron before, perches atop a dilapidated tower, overlooking the area. The shadows scurrying about, are his kin.

He snarls as several approach… empty handed.


DYSMAL
“… I SEE NO MUSE. …I TASTE NO VICTORY.”

One of the demons crawls forward, looking up at Dysmal from the ground.

DESCENT
(The others speak in unison with this single demon)
“THE MUSE ESCAPED US.”

DYSMAL
“HOW?”

DESCENT
“IT ERUPTED. CASTED BRIGHTNESS. TORE US ASUNDER.”


DYSMAL
“…A CLEANSING LIGHT. THE SHROUD ABOUT HER HAS TOPPLED. SHE HAS AWOKEN, THEN. SHE KNOWS A GREAT DEAL, NOW,… AND YET NOTHING OF THE TRUTH.”

Dysmal looks to the horizon through its fiery eyes as rain begins to fall.

Every drip that hit’s the kin of The Descent, sizzles upon impact.

Dysmal clenches a single claw lightly.

DYSMAL
“THEIR TRIP TO THE FLOW WILL BE MUCH EASIER NOW THAT THE WAY IS CLEAR. SHE WILL NOT BE HESITANT… THUS SHE WILL NOT HINDER PROGRESS. WE MUST PERSIST.”

He takes a daring leap from his elevated position on the tower and crashes down to the ground with fury before his kin, slowly rising to his feet from a kneeled position. He stands taller than the others.

DYSMAL
(Muttered almost under his breath)
“…BYRON FADES. … HE HAS A PLAN, THIS WRITER…”

Without warning, Dysmal twirls about and grabs up the Descent Kin that delivered him the news.

He violently rips the demon in two and tosses the halved carcass aside with a hiss.

A sprawling puddle of darkness now rested at his feet.

DYSMAL
“… YOUR WRETCHED NEGLIGENCE HAS COST US. YOU FLEE FROM THAT WITH WHICH YOUR VERY EXISTENCE IS LIABLE. FOOLS. HER MIND CAN ONLY BE CLEANSED ONCE. NOW WE ARE SET BACK! OUR KIN RISE UP FROM THE GROUND AT EVERY CORNER OF THIS WRETCHED SHELL OF A MIND. WE LAY WASTE TO EVERYTHING HE HAS CREATED… BUT RUN FROM THE VERY THING WE ARE TASKED WITH SLAYING, FOREMOST.”

He makes his way through the sea of his kin violently shoving several out of his path. The rain sizzles on them and his eyes narrow as his voice elevates in volume.

DYSMAL
“…SHE IS NAUGHT BUT A WANDERING DREAM LED BY A BLIND LUNATIC.“

He smirks at the word ‘lunatic’ because Byron’s lapse in sanity was he and his kin’s doing.

DYSMAL
“CONTINUE YOUR TASKS. SOON, WE WILL BE MANY MORE… WE WILL COME TOGETHER. THERE WILL NOT BE A FREE SPACE IN BYRON’S MIND. NOR A SAFE STEP IN HIS WORLD FOR THEM TO TREAD. GO! FLOOD HIM! I WILL BE THE HUNTER… WHILE YOU NARROW THE HUNTING GROUNDS!”

[Kerrigan]

EXT. LUMINA WOODLANDS -- DAY

TEAGAN and BYRON are on horseback. Byron at the reigns, Teagan with her arms around Byron’s torso as they ride.

They ride through the Lumina Woodlands. A once lush and colorful woodland, now dark and partly afloat in the skies.

Their pace is slow. Teagan looks at the trees as she passes them. Many are in place. But a few are adrift above them with other natural debris.

TEAGAN
“The Descent.”

Byron looks on silently at the path before them.

TEAGAN
“They don’t have to be near for things to wither this way, do they?”

Byron shakes his head.

BYRON
“No. They could be thousands of miles away, eating away at the smallest piece of me… but all of me will be effected.”

Teagan continues to eye her surroundings… and then her sight shifts to one floating tree in particular.

TEAGAN
“… Why do things float? What causes that?”

BYRON
“…Hollow things often float. They‘re nothing but shells. Eaten from the inside out. …Like me. Empty ideas.”

Teagan looks straight up, directly above herself. They pass under a low hovering log.

TEAGAN
“…Byron…”

BYRON
“Hm?”

TEAGAN
(Worrisome)
“… Does it hurt? All of this. Can you feel any of it? Do you suffer?”

Byron smirks.

BYRON
“No. No pain. Just the feeling of coming and going here and there. It’s a lot like drifting to sleep and shaking your head free of drowsiness.”

TEAGAN
“…Good. …Well, I mean, not good, but… I’m glad you’re not in any pain. …Because it would have been because of me, in the end. And I’m not sure I could deal with anyone else suffering at my hand. Real or otherwise.”

She sighs.

TEAGAN
“…My parents, despite what I know now, were very real to me. As was Matthias. They were my parents. Tethys was my home. Nothing will ever change that.”

BYRON
“… Nothing ever should.”

Teagan lays against Byron’s back, exhausted from the day before and from the unveiling of truths she had not been ready for. Byron was warm despite being translucent. He radiated a warmth she’d never known. As if she’d never felt true heat. Which was closer to the truth than one might expect.

Her eyes grow heavy with coziness but widen once more as a light whitish flake falls gently from the air before her and touches down softly onto Byron’s back.

She pulls away from Byron slowly, looking at the flake curiously… and then examines the sky only to be met with hundreds more.


TEAGAN
(Weakly excited)
“It’s snowing...”

Byron looks up to the sky as well.

BYRON
“…It’s not snow.”

He looks over his shoulder at her partially, and kicks at the horse softly a few times so that it speeds up a little.

BYRON
“It’s ash.”

END SCENE


EXT. LUMINA MAINLANDS -- DAY

BYRON and TEAGAN, still on horseback, gallop up to the edge of a great purple chasm, similar to the one that opened up at Tethys.

Teagan stares angrily down into the now dying purple flames. Byron, as if able to sense her stare, looks over his shoulder at her.

BYRON
“This happened some time ago.”

Teagan peers into the distance with her gorgeous blue eyes, looking beyond the flakes of ash into the hazy distance.

TEAGAN
“…Lumina’s already been ransacked. Torn apart for me, no doubt.”

Byron nods, and urges the horse to trot along the edge slowly.

Teagan continues to look into the distance. The city of Lumina becomes clearer with each step. Broken into bits and pieces, askew in the sky like Tethys. Purple cinders emanate from random fixtures; a sign that the flames that had been burning had begun to cool.

The horse comes to a bridge-like crossing over the chasm, and is somewhat hesitant to cross over. With some urging from Byron, it obeys, and in no time at all, they are trotting at the foot of Lumina.

A set of billowing banners welcome them at the main gate. Lumina’s colors.

END SCENE


EXT. CITY OF LUMINA - MAIN SQUARE -- DAY

TEAGAN and BYRON are in the city’s main square. The horse has been tied to an abandoned stable by the reigns, and the two tread on foot now.

Teagan wanders deeper into the ash-filled city, looking around at the architecture. Byron remains at the entrance, overlooking the horse and simultaneously keeping an eye on Teagan.

TEAGAN
“…Why are we here? Do you really think we should be on foot with the Descent out there?”

Her voice echoes slightly through the city. Byron looks at her.

BYRON
“No, I don’t think that at all. But there’s something here that needs doing. We wouldn’t be here, otherwise. Besides, our path takes us through here, anyway.”

Teagan looks around at the destroyed and abandoned buildings and shakes her head, putting her hands on her hips in confusion.

TEAGAN
“What could possibly need doing in a ghost town? Look at this place. The Descent swallowed it whole…”


BYRON
“…Look harder.”

Teagan looks over her shoulder at Byron, quizzically and then continues to look around with a sarcastic ‘well it still looks the same to me’ expression. But the expression is soon replaced by one of realization.

TEAGAN
“…There’s no vestiges of people…”

Teagan wanders forward to the very core of the city… to a large ash-covered statue of a warrior woman with short hair and a spear; a statue of Leontyne.


TEAGAN
“Either they fled or… they hid?”


Byron looks at the other end of the city. There is a small shift of movement… but he remains calm. Teagan, however, jumps at the sight, ready to sprint. The Lure, however, had other plans for her… and she holds her ground.

BYRON
“Be calm.”

Teagan stands still, trying to make out who or what it was that was now approaching them from the ashy distance.

One by one, they become visible. Civilians of all types. Some injured, some coughing from the ash.

They pass by Teagan, some brushing shoulders with her. But one in particular grabs her by the arm. She starts to tug away until she hears a familiar voice…


MATTHIAS
“…Teagan? Princess!?!”

Teagan looks at Matthias with such an onslaught of emotions erupting from her, she didn’t know whether to hit him or hug him. She shows signs of crying but begins to laugh as she embraces her friend.

TEAGAN
“Matthias!?! You’re alive!!!”


MATTHIAS
(Overjoyed)
“My thoughts exactly, Highness!!”


Byron smiles as the two embrace and eyes the survivors as they pass by him.

MATTHIAS
“Goodness! Your mother will be wanting to know you’re safe!”


TEAGAN
“My… Mother!? She lives as well!?”

MATTHIAS
“As sure as I stand here. She’s with the royal family of Lumina at the moment. At the palace… or what‘s left of it. I was told to wait for her at your father’s estate in the woodlands.”

Byron walks up from behind Teagan, acknowledging Matthias with a nod.

BYRON
“Unfortunately, the woodlands have suffered the same fate. It’s a mess. It’ll be a lot safer for everyone if we don‘t backtrack. Surely we can wait for Juneaux in the palace?”

Matthias stares at Byron as if trying to put a name to a face.

MATTHIAS
“…I can’t for the life of me remember your name, lad. I know you, I do… but…”

Byron chuckles and begins walking toward the dilapidated palace.

Matthias watches him walk away and turns to Teagan.

MATTHIAS
“Who is that man? Did he serve your parents?”

Teagan laughs and shakes her head, urging Matthias along.


TEAGAN
(Amused)
“Matthias… you must tell me everything!”


END SCENE

[Kerrigan]

INT. LUMINA PALACE -- DAY

TEAGAN, MATTHIAS, and BYRON sit in a lobby of sorts, waiting for JUNEAUX to emerge from her meeting with Lumina’s King.

Despite the majority of the palace being torn apart, its main corridors seemed to be all right… with the exception of bits of rubble hitting the floor from time to time.

Teagan and Matthias sit at a damaged water fountain that doubled as a bench-like waiting spot. Very little water rushes upward and straight back down, just behind the two of them.

Byron looks out a nearby window at villagers below.

MATTHIAS
“…And that’s when we heard him. …Your father calling out to you.”


Teagan’s eyes soften at the mention of her father, and she nods.

TEAGAN
“…Only to be cut short.”

Matthias nods.

MATTHIAS
“Your mother and I rode here on horseback, having been cut off from you when the chasm tore open. Together with the royal family here in Lumina, we devised a way to keep the people safe: an old series of underground tunnels to be used in times of ancient war; a refuge of sorts. Almost like a second city.”


TEAGAN
(As if recalling)
“…What Leontyne called Lumina’s Underbelly when she still lived here.”


BYRON
“It was Leontyne’s wish that the Underbelly spanned to the Pallidmane. So that her people could seek refuge in the mountainous terrain and lose their enemies in the cold.”

MATTHIAS
“Preposterous! Leontyne said no such thing! She left Lumina of her own accord and was thus exiled; labeled as a deserter of war. The construction of the Underbelly was not made until some time after this. Who do you think she told? Any citizen would have sooner killed her than shunned her… she had no friends here!”

BYRON
(Amused)
“…Maugrim.”

MATTHIAS
“Maugrim!? He was lost to the wilds after the battle at The Upsweep; never seen again! Are you suggesting he up and appeared in Lumina, had a nice little meeting with the royal family, proposed the commissioning of an underground citadel, in Leontyne’s name, mind you, and they obliged him!?”

TEAGAN
(Amused)
“You’ve gone and ruffled his feathers, Byron! Matthias, surely such a thing is possible?…”

MATTHIAS
“Possible, yes. Probable, the highest unlikeliest circumstance in all the world! Pah… your friend here is certainly a creative one, Teagan.”

TEAGAN
(Amused)
“Oh, you have no idea.”


BYRON
(Amused)
“Apologies, Matthias. I meant no disrespect.”

MATTHIAS
(Showing signs of being amused)
“No worries, my boy. Old timers know the past and its one of the few things they know enough about to argue over. Toss my historian background into the mix and you’ve got yourself an old wackjob that flaunts its claws.”

Byron and Teagan chuckle lightly. As they do so, a double door at the other end of the room opens. Two guards emerge. Followed by LADY JUNEAUX, KING ANDEL, and QUEEN GAVINA.

They are in the middle of a conversation, most likely about what to do with their people or where to take them next.

Teagan rises from her seat on the fountain bench abruptly and sprints from her mother like no tomorrow. The guards show signs of stopping her until Juneaux calls out her name.

JUNEAUX
“Teagan! My Baby!”

The politics are cut short as Teagan collides into her mothers arms. Juneaux immediately starts crying. Teagan fights to hold her tears in.

JUNEAUX
“Is it really you!? Tell me it’s really you!”

TEAGAN
(Choked up, but unable to contain laughter)
“It’s me, mother! You’re not seeing things, I’m alive!”

JUNEAUX
“Oh, Gods!!”

Matthias makes his way over to the two. Byron remains at the window for a moment, giving the city one last uneasy scan with his eyes before slowly joining them.

JUNEAUX
“Where did you go!? How did you escape!? We saw you run into the city, I, I-…”

TEAGAN
“I did go back. I didn’t know where else to go.”

JUNEAUX
“…But why-… why did you run from your father???”

TEAGAN
“… I don’t know.”

Teagan’s eyes dampen almost instantly. She knew all too well the reason for running away from her father. But it still was not something she excused so easily.

TEAGAN
“… I wasn’t thinking straight. I panicked. …I’m sorry, mother. …He chased after me. He died because of-”

JUNEAX
“Don’t you dare! Don’t you dare place that blame on yourself! Nothing that happened at Tethys is your fault! Your father loved you! I love you! Dear Matthias loves you! And none of us blame you for anything!”

Teagan’s heart breaks under the weight of those words. Everything that happened at Tethys WAS technically a result of her existing. The Descent hunted her… so in a way, the blame WAS all hers.

Byron, seeming to know her thought process at that moment, places a hand against her upper back to comfort her.

She looks over her shoulder at him and gives him a weak, heartfelt smile. He does the same.

Juneaux looks at Byron with a familiar look on her face; the same one Matthias and Raem had had.

Teagan catches this and sidesteps out of the way to introduce the two.

TEAGAN
“Mother, this is Byron. He helped me to escape safely back in Tethys.”

Juneaux steps forward with a nod. Before she can speak, Byron bows respectfully.

BYRON
“An honor, Lady Juneaux.”

JUNEAUX
“… Your face. Let me put it to your name...”

Byron looks up at her from his bowed position momentarily before standing upright. Juneaux studies him for a moment.

TEAGAN
(Playing along)
“He has a familiar face, it’s true. Matthias thought so, also.”

JUNEAUX
“A familiar name, as well…”

She looks over at Teagan, seemingly knowing that Teagan had some sort of secret in regard to Byron. But she only smiles and shifts her attention back to Byron.

JUNEAUX
“I understand I have you to thank for protecting my Teagan.”

BYRON
“Think nothing of it.”

JUNEAUX
“Oh, but I shall. I thought she’d been lost in that catastrophe. You’ve not only delivered me my daughter… you’ve delivered me hope.”

Byron goes silent… and gives her a slow bow of his head. Teagan looks to the floor. Upon hearing the word ‘catastrophe’ she is reminded of the destruction of Tethys. The destruction of Lumina. And her journey to The Flow.

Without knowing why… Teagan takes her mother by the hands and guides her gently to the other end of the room.

TEAGAN
“…Mother…”

JUNEAUX
(Confused)
“…Yes? What is it? …What’s wrong?…”

Teagan looks beyond her mother, at Byron… who returns her stare.

JUNEAX
“…Well? Is it about Byron?”

TEAGAN
“Yes. …In some roundabout way, yes.”

JUNEAUX
“Is he a suitor?”

TEAGAN
“No, nothing quite so trivial.”

JUNEAUX
(Light-hearted, joking)
“Trivial? When has marriage ever been considered trivial?”

TEAGAN
(Abruptly)
“…Mother, Byron and I can’t stay here long.”

Teagan allows for the words to set in for a moment before adding…

TEAGAN
(Softly)
“…I can’t stay here with you.”

JUNEAUX
(Confused)
“… Wha-?… I- I don’t understand? You only just arrived. Why would you leave so soon? And to where? Where would you go? Why would you-… why, Teagan???”

Juneaux’s eyes dampen once more.

TEAGAN
“…I wish I had answers for you, mother. I would stay if I could will it.”

JUNEAUX
“If you could will it? Then, will it!”


TEAGAN
“My will is gone…”

JUNEAUX
“…Why are you speaking in riddles??? Just tell me what is wrong!”

Teagan shakes her head as if trying to bite back tears. She wanted so much to confide in her mother about everything.

TEAGAN
“…I didn’t know why we came here, at first. …Then I saw you and Matthias… and I assumed you were the reason. But there’s something else… and it’s nearer than I think. There’s always a catch to where I am and what I‘m doing. It‘s no coincidence.”

JUNEAUX
“…Can’t you speak plain? What do you mean? What‘s near?”

“…Please be happy with what I can tell you… because I can’t explain it any other way. …It was so fresh and new when it happened with father. I didn’t understand it’s nature, then. I know enough now to identify its work. … It’s like I said: my will is gone. It has a mind of its own now…”

Byron, as if appearing out of nowhere, interrupts by leaning in between the two slightly.

BYRON
“…Lady Juneaux…”

Juneaux, now emotionally distraught, looks at Byron. She looks into his eyes.

BYRON
“…Teagan and I have destinies that entwine at the roots. This world is undergoing catastrophic changes… and it will see its share of strife very soon. The demons that ravaged Tethys and Lumina, seek her. For reasons lost, even to the two of us, we are compelled to obey a… Lure …that would see Teagan safely out of harms way. Choice, will… they are luxuries that are forfeit, now. But you've the luxury of choosing to let her go... something she very much wishes for you to do. It's hard enough that she must run, when, if she could will it, she would choose otherwise.”


JUNEAUX
“…You speak as though the world is ending…”

BYRON
“…Isn’t it? There’s no way Teagan and I can expect you to comprehend what is going on… but she has to leave this place before it’s too late. She needs to be elsewhere when it all comes tumbling down… and I have to get her there.”

Juneaux continues to look into Byron’s eyes… somewhat entranced by the vibe he was giving off.

Teagan looks at Byron as he finishes explaining his case… and then looks to her mother with a weak smile.

TEAGAN
“…That feeling you have, mother… the feeling deep down that Byron speaks the truth: it’s real. You’ve never seen him or met him. …But you know him.”

Juneaux bounces her eyes back and forth between the both of them.

TEAGAN
“… We all know him. You know his intentions. You know the lure he’s talking about because you can feel it all around him; within him. …And because you know all of that about him, you know all about what I‘ve gotten swept up into.”

Juneaux gazes at Teagan with a bit of shock in her expression. She quickly pulls her in for another hug.

JUNEAUX
(Saddened)
“…You’ve got to do something very important, …don’t you?…”

Teagan nods solemnly and holds her mother close.

TEAGAN
“I do.”

JUNEAUX
“…Then you shall.”

Juneaux withdraws, placing her hands atop Teagan’s shoulders. She smiles through her tears and looks at Byron.

JUNEAUX
“…You’re not just a man, Byron. To look upon you is like embracing an eternity. I don’t know who you truly are, but I can say… that I entrust Teagan to you; Gods know why. If you are truly meant to protect her, as you say… then do so without fail.”

BYRON
“I promise you, I’ll see her to safety.”

Teagan and Byron share a glance for a moment. Neither of them knew if that statement was true… but then and there, they believed it.

JUNEAUX
“…Alright. Well…”

She wipes her eyes, laughing, surprisingly, at her reaction.

JUNEAUX
“The people of Lumina must relocate, and I promised King Andel my aid in the matter.”

BYRON
“Good idea. Teagan and I will stay and help a few of the citizens for as long as we can.”

TEAGAN
“Until we are drawn elsewhere.”

JUNEAUX
“Of course. When you‘re ready, the both of you meet me outside.”

Juneaux gently cups Teagan’s face in her hand, smiling at her before delivering a kiss onto her forehead.

JUNEAUX
(Hopeful)
“I pray you’re not torn from me too soon…”

Then she turns and leaves the room with a somewhat confused Matthias trailing after her. He had heard everything and was still ‘scientifically’ analyzing it, no doubt.
When the two are out of the room, Teagan and Byron are left standing alone.

They look at each other. Teagan fiddles with her fingernails.


BYRON
“.. You decided to tell her. The Lure didn’t make you.”

Teagan nods quietly.

BYRON
“I’m not disagreeing with your methods. I understand. But from here on out we should try to keep this burden to ourselves.”

Again, Teagan nods.

BYRON
“…What makes you so sure the Lure didn’t want us here for you to be reunited?”

TEAGAN
“No, it did play a part in that. Back in the main square, just before we met Matthias, I felt it. It wanted us to meet with him and mother. But there’s something else. …I feel like we’re waiting for something.”

BYRON
“…Odd that it desired such a thing. …As if it cared…”

TEAGAN
“…Or perhaps, in the long run, it will effect the grander scheme of things.”

BYRON
“Unlikely… but possible.”

Teagan shrugs and smiles.

TEAGAN
“Now you sound like Matthias.”

The two of them share a chuckle. Teagan looks at Byron and her chuckling ceases, replaced with a look of both thankfulness and sorrow.

TEAGAN
“…Thankyou, Byron. …For what you said to her. For helping…”

BYRON
“…Think nothing of it.”

TEAGAN
“Is that your favorite response?”

She walks up to him.

TEAGAN
“Learn to accept a thank you.”

She kisses his cheek.

TEAGAN
“…Thankyou.”

BYRON
“… You’re welcome?”

Teagan laughs.

TEAGAN
“Much better. Well, we’d best not keep everyone waiting.”

He smirks.

BYRON
(Amused)
“A lesson in etiquette from my own Muse. That’s a first. …Doesn’t that technically mean I taught myself?…”

TEAGAN
“Shut it!”

She punches him in the arm playfully as they head down the hall.

BYRON
(Sarcastically)
“Now I’m beating myself up!”

END SCENE