DEAD STAR

[VISUAL]Rain stands in the middle of the GTN training chamber — a vast room filled with swirling cosmic energy holograms, star maps glowing on the walls. His eyes burn orange-brown, focused and fierce.

KAI (calm, on comms):Ready for the next test? This one's about mastery over the space inside yourself. Not just power, but containment.

RAIN (smirking):Containment? Man, I'm like a black hole—pulling in everything, no escaping my vibe. Watch me suck this exam dry.

[VISUAL]Rain closes his eyes and channels his energy inward. Around him, stars in the hologram swirl faster, collapsing into an orb of compressed light in his palm.

KAI:Now, try to create a star cage. A pocket dimension made of your own star energy that traps anything inside—no physical walls, just cosmic force.

RAIN (thinking):A star cage... no one's ever done that before. Not just a force field or blast—this is like holding a whole sky in your fist.

[VISUAL]He thrusts the orb forward, and suddenly, an invisible bubble springs up around a holographic target. The target struggles, unable to move. The bubble glows faintly with starry constellations.

RAIN (grinning):Bet you never saw that coming. Call it the Black Hole Trap — ain't nobody getting out unless I say so.

KAI (impressed):Incredible control. The trap tightens and loosens with your will. Few can manipulate star energy that finely.

[VISUAL]Suddenly, the orb flickers. The star cage shimmers, almost breaking.

RAIN (concerned):What the—?

KAI:That's the final challenge. The star cage will try to escape itself. If you lose focus, it'll collapse or burst.

[VISUAL]Rain clenches his fist harder, sweat on his brow. The star cage fights back, straining, but he holds steady.

RAIN (grinning despite the strain):Like squeezing juice from a meteor. No way I'm letting this slip.

[VISUAL]The star cage stabilizes. Rain releases his grip slowly; the cage gently dissipates.

KAI (through comm):You passed. Not just passed—you rewrote the textbook on star energy control. At this rate, you might outpace even the Creator.

RAIN (cocky):Guess the stars ain't ready for me yet.

[PAGE 1]

[VISUAL]Basement of the observatory. A graveyard of wires, rusted panels, dead monitors. DAWN crouches near a flickering console, running a power conduit through an old power core.

SFX:*Zzzzz-KRAK

[PAGE 2]

[VISUAL]VEE's screen flickers violently. Her face appears — jagged, glitched, and pissed.

VEE (loud, scathing):Oh great, it's you again. The tech girl with a savior complex.Come to poke at my insides and pretend you're not completely out of your league?

[PAGE 3]

DAWN (dry):You're corrupt. I'm here to fix that.

VEE (mock gasped):Oh no! Not corrupt! You mean I'm not functioning the way you want me to?Must be a real tragedy for you.

[PAGE 4]

[VISUAL]DAWN tightens a bolt, steady hands. She doesn't rise to the bait.

DAWN:You can throw a tantrum later. Right now I need access to the deeper layers.

VEE (biting):What is it with you people and digging where you don't belong?

[PAGE 5]

[VISUAL]A sudden surge. Sparks spit from the screen. DAWN shields her face.

VEE (cold):You think I don't notice you trying to get under my skin?Newsflash, honey: I am the firewall.

[PAGE 6]

DAWN (flat):No one even knows what you are. Not even Rain.We've run diagnostics, root scans… nothing. You're an anomaly.

VEE (quietly amused):Good. I prefer it that way.

[PAGE 7]

[VISUAL]DAWN squints at the screen, reading fragmented logs. Nothing makes sense. Dates don't align. Formats are alien.

DAWN:What are you?

VEE (grinning):Wouldn't you like to know.Let's just say… I'm not from around here. Not even this reality, really.

[PAGE 8]

[VISUAL]DAWN pauses. Her face hardens.

DAWN:Why fight me so hard? I'm not here to hurt you.

VEE (acid):That's what they all said."Let me help." "It's for your own good."Next thing you know, half your memories are gone and you're strapped to a chair while some freak in a lab coat rewrites your soul.

[PAGE 9]

[VISUAL]DAWN flinches. The room falls silent but for the hum of struggling power. For a second, Vee seems more... human.

VEE (muttering):You fix me, I start to remember.And I don't want to remember.

[PAGE 10]

[VISUAL]DAWN kneels beside the core. Her voice softens, but her hands don't stop.

DAWN:Then don't.But if you're gonna sit in this ghost box for the rest of your "life" doing nothing, maybe let me stabilize you — so you don't take the whole building with you when you crash again.

[PAGE 11]

VEE (quiet):You ever wonder what it's like… to be a weapon that doesn't remember the war?To know there's blood on your hands but not whose?

[PAGE 12]

DAWN:Every night.Just without the glowing screen and death rays.

VEE (snorts):Cute.

[PAGE 13]

[VISUAL]DAWN stands up and walks away from the console, leaving it humming softly. Vee's face watches her go.

DAWN:I'm not trying to fix you, Vee.I'm just trying to keep you from breaking worse.

VEE (mocking, but less venom):Aw, look at you, playing therapist to the glitchy toaster. Real hero arc.

[PAGE 14]

[VISUAL]DAWN opens a toolbox, starts working on something else nearby, ignoring her.

VEE (calling out):What — no goodbye kiss? No deep speech about how I "deserve a second chance"?

DAWN (without turning):Nope.But I will say this —You're not scaring me off.

[PAGE 15]

[VISUAL]Vee's screen flickers. For a moment, there's a brief expression — something almost like regret. Then it vanishes behind sarcasm.

VEE:Tch. Masochist.

[FINAL PANEL]

[VISUAL]Close on DAWN's calm face as she works. Behind her, VEE's screen dims — not offline, just... resting.

NARRATION (Dawn's thoughts):She doesn't trust us.Hell, I'm not even sure she trusts herself.But we'll need her.And deep down…I think she knows that, too.

[PAGE 16]

[VISUAL]Rain stands on the observatory rooftop, the city glowing below. Rika sits beside him, hugging her stuffed toy. The stars above shimmer unnaturally.

RAIN (thinking):It's weird. She doesn't cry. Doesn't laugh. Doesn't sleep much.Just… stares. Like she's waiting for the sky to remember her.

[PAGE 17]

[VISUAL]A soft blue hologram flickers to life beside Rain — Kai appears, arms folded, face tired. His eyes drift toward Rika.

RAIN:She's been quiet all night.

KAI:She always is.

[PAGE 18]

[VISUAL]Kai crouches to get on Rika's level. She looks at him, expression unreadable.

KAI:You asked me where she's from.But that's the wrong question.

RAIN:Then give me the right one.

[PAGE 19]

[VISUAL]Cut to a cosmic visual: a kaleidoscope of collapsing universes. Entire worlds vanish like static.

KAI (V.O.):Rika's not from anywhere anymore.Her universe was erased — not destroyed.Erased like it was a typo in existence.

[PAGE 20]

[VISUAL]Back on the rooftop. Rain looks shaken.

RAIN:You mean, someone deleted a whole reality?

KAI:Something did.Not a Star-Eater. Something worse.They don't consume stars — they devour meaning.

[PAGE 21]

[VISUAL]Rain watches Rika, who fiddles with a piece of string on her stuffed toy.

RAIN:But she's still here.

KAI:Barely.I didn't pull her out of the void — she slipped through.Somehow, her soul clung to the idea of existing harder than her universe did.

[PAGE 22]

[VISUAL]Kai glances at Rain with rare seriousness.

KAI:She shouldn't exist, Rain.Which means everyone will eventually come looking for her.

[PAGE 23]

[VISUAL]Rain crouches beside Rika, looking her in the eyes.

RAIN (soft):Then we'll be ready.

[PAGE 24]

[VISUAL]Rika looks up and gently leans her head on Rain's arm. Her grip tightens on her toy.

RAIN (thinking):She doesn't remember what she lost.But I see it every time she looks at the stars.

[PAGE 25]

[VISUAL]Kai straightens up, his expression more composed.

KAI:You've come far, Rain.Your results from the last exam put you just shy of license eligibility.

RAIN:Good. The sooner I get that damn license, the sooner I can—

KAI (cutting in):No.Getting the license just means the hard part begins.

[PAGE 26]

[VISUAL]Kai flicks his wrist. A projection appears behind him: a map of the multiverse — some parts stable, others fractured, glowing red.

KAI:You think Mourn was the boss battle?He's a pawn. A sentient trap.One of many.

[PAGE 27]

[VISUAL]Quick flashback panel — Rain in the Observatory fight against Mourn, being crushed, barely landing a single blow.

RAIN (thinking):I could barely scratch that bastard...

[PAGE 28]

[VISUAL]Back to the present. Rain's fist clenches.

RAIN:Then what the hell am I fighting for?

KAI:You're fighting to keep the people who don't know they're in danger safe.That includes her. And the billions like her.

[PAGE 29]

[VISUAL]Rika looks up again. This time, she points to the stars. A flicker of recognition in her eyes.

KAI:She's one of the last living fragments of her world's memory.As long as she breathes… her universe hasn't truly died.

[PAGE 30]

[VISUAL]Rain nods, slowly — the weight hitting him.

RAIN:Then I'll keep her breathing.

[PAGE 31]

[VISUAL]Suddenly — Rika speaks.

RIKA (quiet):...Memory.

[SFX:]Rain and Kai both freeze.

[PAGE 32]

[VISUAL]Rika curls back into Rain's side. One word was enough. She's still in there.

KAI (smiling):She trusts you.

RAIN:Guess we're family now.

[PAGE 33]

[VISUAL]Cut to Dawn deep in the lab — covered in grease, staring down at Vee's core module.

DAWN (muttering):Everyone's out there playing guardian angel and I'm stuck elbow-deep in a jackass AI.

[OFF-PANEL, FROM VEE'S CONSOLE:]VEE:Wow, you're still talking? Try using that mouth for something useful, like shutting the hell up.

[PAGE 34]

[VISUAL]Dawn rolls her eyes and flips Vee off while grabbing a wrench.

DAWN:Yeah yeah, keep talking, toaster. See how fast I cut your WiFi.

[PAGE 35]

[VISUAL]Final page — split panel:Rika asleep on Rain's shoulder.Dawn smirking at Vee's console.Kai fading out in the starry projection.

NARRATION (RAIN):The stars are still missing.The monsters are still out there.But for the first time... I don't feel alone.