THE FINAL MOVE : THE LAST LAUGH

Gray escapes a deadly encounter by sealing off enemies and fighting his way through soldiers with expert precision, eventually reuniting with his team. Tensions rise among the group over Imperial's fate—until Imperial reappears unharmed, shocking everyone. The general then arrives, exposing the corruption within the empire and securing the captured enemies.

Scene: One Week Ago – Royal Palace

Inside a dimly lit strategy room in the royal palace...

General Rhogar (bowing slightly):

Lord Magnus, they're here.

Two captains enter the room, both visibly injured and uneasy. Magnus, seated on a grand chair, observes them with narrowed eyes.

Magnus (coldly):

Tell me... how did that incident happen?

Captain 1 (hesitantly):

It was... Gray Welhawk and Imperial Alden. They were responsible.

Magnus (raising an eyebrow):

Imperial Alden? What was that Alden boy doing there? Was this part of his plan from the beginning?

General Rhogar (stepping forward):

As you suspected, my lord... Imperial Alden is not just any boy. He defeated both captains without Gray's help. Effortlessly.

Magnus (leaning back, intrigued):

If he truly is the one we've been searching for... then it's time to move to the next step. I already have a plan. But we need to learn more about him—and the group he's traveling with.

________________________________________

Present Time – Inside a Hotel Room

In a cozy room at a small hotel, Dawn and Ari sit at a table filled with maps and papers.

[Knock Knock]

Tracey (from outside):

It's me, Tracey.

Dawn:

Come in.

Tracey enters. Ari sighs, frustrated.

Ari:

It's been two weeks... and we still haven't found the pillar.

Tracey:

We've searched every direction—except the area restricted to Royal Council members.

Dawn:

We also haven't checked the far north. If it's not there, we might be out of luck. We can't just storm into the Council's territory—not without alerting them about the pillars.

Ari:

Still, we're missing someone. Where's Imperial? I haven't seen him all morning.

Tracey:

He told me earlier he had some business to handle. Said we should take the day off.

Ari (turning to Dawn):

Hey Dawn, didn't you say you'd tell us more about Gray?

Dawn (realizing):

Oh, right. Sorry, I've been so caught up with our search—east, south, then west—I forgot.

So, like I told you, Gray was once a Shadow Assassin. One of the best.

Ari & Tracey:

Yeah, we remember.

Dawn:

What most people don't know is that he left that life behind years ago. After that, he founded the Common Association. But during his time as a Shadow Assassin, he was feared. His raw skill in silent elimination was unmatched, and he's deadly with firearms.

She pauses.

Dawn:

The strange part is... no one knows why he left. As a Shadow Assassin, he served the Royal Council indirectly and earned a lot. But I doubt it was about the money. He comes from one of the royal families in this empire.

???:

You seem to know quite a bit about him, Dawn.

They all jump. Standing near the door is Imperial, arms crossed.

Ari (startled, then furious):

You moron! Don't sneak in like that!

She smacks him on the head.

Imperial (rubbing his head):

The door wasn't even closed.

Ari glares at Tracey.

Tracey (terrified):

I-I thought it was shut!

Ari hits him too.

Dawn (laughing lightly):

Weren't you on some important errand, Imperial?

Imperial:

Finished it. Now let's go—we're heading north. Time to find that pillar.

All the others agreed, and the group left the hotel room.

As they exited the hotel, Imperial stopped at the counter to pay the bill, while the rest waited for him outside.

ARI: "Guys, before we begin the search, I need to grab some food and supplies. The weather's looking bad too, so I'll move quickly and meet you at the town's exit, okay?"

OTHERS: "Alright, be careful."

Ari hurried off toward the town market.

Scene: Town Market – A Few Minutes Later

Ari arrived at the bustling market and began scanning the stalls for food items. While she was browsing, a small girl with teary eyes approached her, clearly upset.

LITTLE GIRL (crying): "I got lost… I can't find my mom. Can you help me, big sis?"

ARI (gently): "Of course. Do you remember where you last saw her?"

**LITTLE GIRL:** "Yes… I'll take you there."

The girl grabbed Ari's hand and began leading her through the market.

---

**\[Meanwhile – At the Town Exit]**

Imperial, Dawn, and Tracey were making their way toward the edge of town.

**IMPERIAL:** "I guess the only place left to check is the northern part of the empire."

**TRACEY:** "But we haven't searched the territory controlled by the Royal Council yet."

**IMPERIAL:** "If the pillar was hidden there, Ari's locket would've reacted to its presence. And besides... I can sense something too—not as precisely as the locket, but if I get close enough, I can feel the magic coming from those pillars."

Dawn nodded silently, the group pushing forward through the growing wind as storm clouds gathered above.

---

**\[Back in the Market – Ari's POV]**

The girl tugged Ari along through quiet alleys until they stopped under a large tree just outside the market, where a picnic mat was laid out.

**ARI (frowning):** "Are you sure you last saw your mom here? We're nearly outside the town…"

**LITTLE GIRL (suddenly cheerful):** "Yes! We were having a picnic here. Come on, sit down!"

As soon as Ari stepped onto the mat, glowing runes activated beneath her feet.

**ARI (shocked):** "Wha—?!"

A powerful **binding spell** surged up from the ground, locking her in place. Before she could react, several hooded figures emerged from the surrounding trees. One of them placed a hand on Ari's forehead and muttered a spell. A soft flash of light... and Ari's eyes rolled back as she collapsed, unconscious.

One of the figures pulled out a **communication crystal**, speaking into it.

**HOODED FIGURE:** "We have her. Preparing to transport now."

A distorted voice answered from the other side.

**VOICE (coldly):** "Good. Bring her to where she belongs."

They lifted Ari's limp body and placed her in a cart marked with a mysterious **insignia**—an old, arcane symbol etched into its wood. Without another word, the cart rolled away at full speed, vanishing into the shadowed road beyond the trees.