Red Death S1

Mirel left the Camp back to the wrecked caravan site

Ash still clings to the wreckage. Cages twisted open. Corpses sprawled like forgotten dolls.

MIREL steps through it. Alone this time. Hood lowered, eyes sharp.

She crouches—examining melted locks, crushed helmets, drag marks.

She looks up as six shadowy figures emerge from the woods—her agents. Dressed in gray, faceless behind thin masks.

Mirel:"Fan out. Track anything. Even if it smells like wind."

EXT. FOREST PATH – SERIES OF SCENES (MONTAGE)

— An agent finds a footprint near a stream.— Another locates a snapped branch high up, suggesting someone leapt.— Mirel follows faint scuffs in the dirt with gloved fingers.

They're following Ryu's trail—but it's scattered, broken intentionally.

Finally, it ends.

EXT. STONE WALL – AFTERNOON

The trail leads to a stone wall covered in moss. No gates. No footprints beyond it. Ryu's presence vanishes.

The agents regroup.

Agent:"He climbed it? Teleportation?"

Mirel (calmly):"No. He erased his trail."

She presses a hand to the wall. Closes her eyes.

Mirel (soft, almost amused):"He knew we'd follow. Led us here. Waste our time."

(beat)

"He's not running. He's thinking."

She looks beyond the wall— not with frustration, but interest.

Mirel (to herself):"Smart prey. Good."

She turns."Keep moving. We're not done."

FADE OUT.

MEANWHILE — EXT. ROAD TO AN INDEPENDENT TOWN – DUSK

Ryu walks alone. Wind brushes his cloak. His expression is distant.

He speaks softly—barely above breath.

Ryu:"…I wish you were here, Yizo."

(beat)

"Just to talk. This kind of silence… it's not peace. It's boring."

"There we go this is the other independant town Genshiro.."

EXT. TOWN GATES – NIGHTFALL

The town isn't Empire-controlled. A merchant hub surrounded by thick stone and iron, bustling but neutral.

Ryu approaches. The guards glance at him—tattered cloak, no armor, red eyes—but they don't stop him.

He walks through.

EXT. MARKETPLACE – NIGHT

Lanterns flicker. Stalls open. Meat roasts. Coins clink. A bard plays a sad tune.

Ryu walks past all of it—detached. Watching. He blends in, but his aura keeps people distant.

Ryu walks between merchant stalls, hands in pockets. Eyes scanning.

People avoid his gaze without knowing why.

He catches scents—spices, sweat, cheap wine—and hears voices arguing over bread prices.

Ryu (thinking):"They live like none of it's real. Like the war's not five towns away."

He stops at a stall.

A roasted bird rotates above open flame.

The merchant sees him. Eyes him up and down.

Merchant (gruff):"You buying?"

Ryu looks at the meat. Then at his empty coin pouch.

Ryu:"No."

He walks away.

EXT. ALLEY BETWEEN STALLS – CONTINUOUS

He steps into a quieter section of the market. Less noise. Less eyes.

A crumbling wall gives him shade.

He leans back, exhaling.

Ryu (soft):"…Yizo would've asked me to hunt something anyway."

(beat)

"He'd say food's not a luxury. It's fuel for war."

He glances up at the sky.

Grey clouds swirl. No stars tonight.

Ryu:"You talked too much."

(beat)

"I miss that."

EXT. MARKET – NEAR THE EDGE – MOMENTS LATER

A young boy dashes past a fruit stand—hands full of stolen apples.

The merchant yells.

Merchant:"Thief! Someone stop that rat!"

Ryu watches silently as the boy vanishes into a side alley.

Nobody follows. Nobody cares.

Ryu (to himself):"…Smart."

His stomach growls. He ignores it.

He continues walking. Keeps to himself. Invisible.

EXT. TOWN CENTER – LATER

He reaches the old stone fountain.

It's dry. Cracked. Moss growing inside.

He sits on the edge, pulling his cloak tighter.

Behind him, taverns glow with warm light. Laughter filters out. Music, too.

He doesn't go in.

Ryu (low):"No crowds. No talking. No mistakes."

He pulls out something small from his cloak—

The Black Charm.

It still glows faintly.

He turns it in his hand. Cold. Smooth.

He pockets it again.

EXT. FAR EDGE OF TOWN – NIGHT

Ryu finds a stable. Mostly abandoned. A single drunk stablehand snores inside.

In the corner—hay. Dry. Quiet.

Ryu steps over the man and settles into the haystack.

He lies back. Arms crossed behind his head.

Eyes open.

Watching the rafters.

Not sleeping.

Just… resting.

Ryu (softly, flat):"Better than the ground."

(beat)

"Tomorrow, I will make a plan."

FADE TO BLACK.

The sun filters in through the wooden beams.

Ryu opens his eyes slowly.

No birds. Just creaking wood and the breath of horses nearby.

He sits up, brushing hay off his shoulders. Hair messy. Eyes distant.

Ryu:

"Gosh i slept with one eye open the whole night in case something attacks me"

He gets up. Stretches. Cracks his neck.

His stomach growls again.

Ryu (quietly):"Alright... food."

EXT. TOWN STREETS – MORNING

The town is busier now. Wagons roll. Merchants shout. Children dart between stalls.

Ryu walks along the cobblestone street—expression unreadable, cloak tattered, no weapons in sight.

People glance his way. Then look again.

Some whisper. Others move aside.

He approaches a butcher's stall.

Ryu (flatly):"You hiring?"

Butcher (confused):"You mean like… work?"

Ryu:"I can lift. I can fight."

The butcher eyes him.

No armor. No sword. Dusty cloak. No shoes even.

Butcher:"…You from the woods or something?"

Ryu doesn't answer.

Butcher (shakes head):"Try the guild, weirdo."

EXT. MARKETPLACE – SHORT TIME LATER

Ryu keeps asking.

A blacksmith. A cart driver. A guard captain.

Same answer. Same look. No sword. No armor. Strange red eyes.

A woman hands him a small coin—thinking he's a beggar.

He stares at it. Confused. Leaves it on a barrel.

EXT. ADVENTURERS' GUILD – MIDDAY

Finally, a tired man gestures toward a tall stone building with a sun-shaped insignia over the entrance.

Man:"Guild's that way. They take anyone who thinks they're tough."

Ryu:"…Alright."

INT. ADVENTURERS' GUILD – MOMENTS LATER

The building is loud—filled with chatter, boots stomping, and clanking mugs.

Faded banners hang from the beams. A few bounty posters flap near the doors.

Ryu steps in.

Heads turn. Eyes narrow.

A few laughs. A few whispers.

His tattered cloak, the way he walks without tension—it doesn't match the mercenaries here.

He walks up to the front desk, where a tired receptionist with round glasses sips cold tea behind a counter piled with parchment.

She doesn't look up.

Receptionist (monotone):"Name. Experience. Weapon of choice. Registration fee's waived this month if you're underage or missing a limb."

Ryu:"…I don't have a name for you. I can fight. That's it."

She looks up.

Eyes scan his worn boots. His bruises. The red glow behind his tired gaze.

She sighs. Not the first strange one she's seen.

Receptionist:"No sword? No armor? You applying for death or work?"

Ryu:"…Work."

She reaches into a drawer. Slides out a temporary license slip—plain paper with three boxes.

Receptionist:"This isn't full entry. It gets you basic jobs, low pay. You'll need to pass the exams in two weeks if you want to keep working."

She slides him a dull pen.

Ryu stares at the paper. Then the pen.

Receptionist (eyebrow raised):"…Problem?"

Ryu:"I don't know how to write."

(beat)

"I can read… a little. Not much."

She blinks.

A pause.

Then, in a strange gesture of mercy, she flips the paper toward herself.

Receptionist (sighs):"Fine. Say your name—whatever you go by."

Ryu (quiet):"…Ryu."

She writes it in scribbled ink.

Receptionist:"Alright, Ryu. You're temporary. You mess up, you're gone."

(beat)

"There's a board to the left. Pick jobs with a gray mark—basic tier. Guard duty, delivery, beast cleanup."

She stamps the paper.

Receptionist (without warmth):"And try not to die before the exams. That'd be paperwork."

She shoves the license across to him.

Ryu takes it.

It feels strange in his hands.

Like something not meant for him… but something he'll use anyway.