(A chapter where three paths forcibly entwine—where secrets unravel, worlds collide, and a ghost from the stars returns.)
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SCENE 1: THE GROUP PROJECT CURSE
(Classroom setting. Ryo slumps at his desk, chin propped on his palm as their teacher announces partners for the semester's major project. Yua stiffens like she's been handed a death sentence. Ren? He just smirks, spinning a pen between his fingers.)
Teacher: "And for Group 7—Kenzaki, Kurotsuki… and our transfer student, Aihara."
(The entire class exhales in collective relief at not being stuck with this trio. Ryo groans into his hands; Yua's grip cracks her pencil in half; Ren leans back, (grinning). )
Ren (whispering): "Oh this'll be fun."
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SCENE 2 – CITY OF SERENIA
RYO'S HOMETOWN: A bustling metropolis built atop ancient ley lines.
(The city pulses with unseen energy, its skyscrapers like modern monoliths hiding forgotten power. Ryo's ancestors settled here centuries ago, drawn by the Seishu-rich soil. Now? It's a place where myth and modernity clash daily—where hunters blend in with salarymen, and something far older sleeps beneath the streets.)
THE HUNTING REALM CONNECTION:
Yua's scroll maps (smuggled in her sleeve) show Serenia as a "Convergence Point"—a rare overlap between worlds. No wonder the star fell here.
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SCENE 3 – FIRST GROUP MEETING: DISASTER
(Library after school. Ren has his feet on the table; Yua glares daggers; Ryo tries (and fails) to mediate.)
Yua: "Your 'research methods' are sloppy."
(She stabs a finger at Ren's notebook full of doodles.)
Ren: "And your face is sloppy." (Ryo facepalms so hard it echoes.)
Ryo (muttering): "We're gonna die before this project even starts."
(Meanwhile, something else watches…)
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[/STAR-LIGHT THEME; A distant hum of energy—alien, vast, yet familiar.\]
(From the shadows, the (girl from the fallen star) watches the trio bicker through the classroom window. Her eyes gleam a luminous white, casting a soft halo around her. She's intrigued, yes. But she's also a hunter, a soldier—and Ryo, Ren, and Yua have just entered her sights.)
SCENE 4 – HUNTING REALM CULTURE CLASH
(Yua slams a dusty tome onto the table—its pages glowing faintly with Seishu script.)
Yua: "In my realm, we call this 'The Trial of Three.' A test where warriors bond through combat or perish."
Ren (raising an eyebrow): "So… team-building exercises with stabbing?"*
Ryo (grinning nervously): "Can't we just do a PowerPoint?"
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SCENE 5 – SERENIA'S DARK SECRETS EXPOSED!
(While "researching," Ren uncovers city archives mentioning "The Hollow Star Event"—a catastrophe from 300 years ago where another "star" fell… and vanished without a trace. The records end abruptly—like someone purged them.)
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(Ren taps his chin thoughtfully, piecing together fragmented stories from his grandmother's myths. He's always sensed something off beneath Serenia's concrete surface, but now he's certain: the city hides secrets as deep as the sky is high. Yua reads the hidden history over his shoulder, eyes narrowed. Ryo's eyes widen, connecting the dots to Yua's scroll's Convergence Point. They share a silent look—a new revelation dawning. This city—their home—holds secrets they can't begin to fathom. And they were chosen to be a part of it all.)
(Ryo's mind reels. He always saw Serenia as a safe haven, an anchor to the ordinary world. Now? It's an unknown variable, a mystery he's been blind to. There are things he doesn't know—and it's unsettling. Behind his thoughts, Ren's voice cuts in, teasing: "Looks like the hunter's the hunted, huh?" Ryo scoffs, pushing away his unease. He's not one to back down from a challenge, especially when it involves his beloved city.)
(Yua's fingers clench around her scroll, her senses prickling. There's something more to this convergence, a connection to the fallen star that led Yua here, to Serenia. The city's secrets have a flavor of the Hunting Realm, but tainted—twisted. She turns to Ren and Ryo, her eyes gleaming with the edge of anger and a touch of fear:) "We need answers."
(Ren's usual nonchalance falls away, replaced by a quiet intensity. Behind his eyes, there's a flicker of unease. He's never questioned his place in Serenia or his family's history; it just was. Now, he's caught in a tangled web of mysteries—and his own past is as unknown as the city's. The realization hits him like a blow. He looks at Ryo and Yua, his allies in this unfamiliar battle. "We all have our blind spots," he says, his voice soft. "Guess we'll figure this out together.
(They all nod in agreement as they split for the day.)
(Ren is on his way home when an unexpected surprise comes to him.)
SCENE 6 – FATE REUNITED: A SIBILANT WHISPER
(Night falls. The streets around Serenia's outskirts wind through sleepy neighborhoods. Ren walks with his hands shoved in his pockets, deep in thought. His mind plays a reel of today's revelations—the city's secrets, his family's past. Suddenly, the shadows twist. A chilling breeze cuts through the night, and he senses (someone else) nearby.)
(Before Ren can react, a figure steps into the dim glow of a flickering streetlamp—the girl from the fallen star. Her luminous eyes lock onto his with eerie familiarity. She speaks in a voice like static and stardust:)
Girl: "You shouldn't have touched what wasn't yours."
(Ren's pulse spikes—but he doesn't retreat. Instead, he grins. Because of course fate wouldn't let him walk away without fireworks. )
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Ren (squaring his shoulders, eyes glinting like cold steel): "You shouldn't leave things lying around where they can be found."
Girl (tilting her head, the air crackling around her): "A bold answer... but foolish. You have no idea what you've awakened."
Ren: "Guess we'll find out, won't we?" (His smile widens—his heart, beating a battle drum. Something in his gaze challenges her: to strike, to reveal her secrets. To come closer.)
(The girl makes her way closer and closer as she stops suddenly and looks at him.)
(Then unexpectedly she leans in pulling Ren in for a kiss.)
(Ren blinks—then grins against her lips; a challenge of his own. The moment lasts only (a heartbeat) before she pulls away—eyes blazing like starlight. The girl looks at him—really looks at him—as if seeing something for the first time. There's wonder there, and vulnerability. His grin softens as he whispers,* "Got your attention?"
(The girl's lips part—not in fury, not in dismissal, but something far more dangerous: curiosity. She traces her fingers along his jawline, considering him like a puzzle she hasn't solved yet. The static between them hums louder. Then—just as suddenly as she appeared—she vanishes into the night.
Ren exhales sharply, grinning like he just won a game no one else knew they were playing.
Ren (to the empty street): "Yeah. You'll be back."
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[SCENE 7: DAWN – THE REALIZATION]
(Next morning. Ren walks into class with an unreadable smirk—until he locks eyes with Ryo and Yua, who are already seated together. Something about their expressions tells him last night wasn't just his secret.)
(Present Timeline – Convergence Point: Serenia City)
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SCENE 8: THE ECLIPSEBORN'S GAZE
(Ryo's fingers tap his desk—his Eclipseborn energy humming just beneath his skin. His eyes lock onto Ren the moment he enters, pupils briefly flickering with that (otherworldly darkness) before returning to normal. Yua, seated beside him, doesn't even look up—but her grip tightens around her concealed weapon.)
Ryo (low, only for Yua): "He reeks of celestial interference."
Yua: "Worse. He smells like (her)." (The unspoken name hangs between them: The Starfall Girl.)
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SCENE 9: TARO'S WARNING (FLASHBACK - LAST NIGHT)
(Cut to memory: The exiled genius Taro lounges atop a shrine roof, swirling sake as Kazuya and Mirai bicker below. His sharp eyes pierce Ryo and Yua from the shadows.)
Taro: "Mark me, you've strayed from the path and stumbled upon shadows older than time. Your destinies reek of celestial influence—and something else."
Kazuya (rolling his eyes): "So cryptic, old man! Just say what you mean."
Mirai (elbowing Kazuya): "Quiet! He's (trying) to be profound."
(A rare hint of amusement flickers in Taro's eyes, but he continues, unperturbed by the teen's banter.)
Taro: "A fallen star is not a treasure but a beacon. A beacon that lures those who seek the forgotten, the forsaken. Those who dare to gaze upon the abyss..."
Ryo (leaning forward): "And what about (her)?"
^(Taro's eyes narrow—the weight of his gaze enough to silence even Kazuya and Mirai.)
Taro: "The girl who fell with the star... She is (change). A force the universe has never seen. Your paths are entangled now—whether fate or misfortune, only time will tell."
(Yua's lips thin. Ryo scowls.)
Ryo (softly): "You're making it sound like we have no choice."
SCENE 10: CONFLICTION OF THE TRUTH
(Ryo is later in his room that night, in thought about what has happened the past few weeks, suddenly he hears a voice the voice of something in his head.)
VOICE (inside Ryo's mind): "You fear the path you've taken, the darkness growing within. Do not look upon it with dread—but embrace it. It is yours—your birthright."
(Ryo jolts—the shadow in his eye flickers. He clutches his head. Whispers of fear, temptation—something (otherworldly) tries to seduce his resolve.)
Ryo: "You must be what I awakened during that battle… am I right?"
VOICE (darkly amused): "Is it (me) you feel—or the part of you that was always meant to wake up?"
(The shadows in the room ripple—not from light, but from Ryo's own Eclipseborn energy responding. His breath hitches as realization dawns: this voice isn't just his power... it's something (older.) Something that has been waiting.)
Ryo (gritting teeth): "Who—no, (what) are you?"
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[SCENE 11: THE ECLIPSE WHISPERS BACK]
(Silence. Then—a sensation like ink spilling through his veins. The voice finally answers, its tone shifting into something solemn, ancient.)
VOICE:
"You already know."
(Ryo thinks back to his battle with Kairos and what he had awakened, he gets annoyed more than anything and asks why he didn't explain anything to him if they're so supposed to create a bond somehow.)
(A ripple of laughter that isn't his own—Ryo shivers. His room feels colder, shadows deeper.)
"Explain? Why would something like me care to (explain) to you, a mere human? You are a vessel, nothing more. Your fears, your desires—they feed my power."
(There's a hunger edging its voice, an alien need Ryo can barely comprehend. He clenches his fists, anger sparking. I won't be controlled, he thinks. But there's no answer.)
(Ryo asks if he can at least get it's name since they're stuck together for the time being.)
*(A beat of silence—then the Eclipseborn's presence curls around his consciousness like smoke, almost... amused.)*
ECLIPSEBORN: "You may call me 'Yami no Shiren' *(試煉の闇)—the Trial of Darkness. Or 'Shiren,' if you prefer simplicity."
(The name settles like a weight—both a challenge and an oath. Ryo exhales sharply, realizing: this thing isn't just power. It's a test. And he's only just begun.)
(Ryo asks if what Yua said was true about him being a completely different Eclipseborn since he doesn't fall under the four categories.)
(Shiren's laughter echoes like a blade dragged across stone—cold, deliberate.)
SHIREN: "Fool. Categories are for hunters who fear what they cannot label. You are...(unique). A fractured soul with no place in their hierarchy. That is why she fears you."
(Ryo's breath catches—because now he understands. Yua wasn't lying. His Eclipseborn defies the natural order of the Hunting Realm entirely.)
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[SCENE 12: THE FIFTH CLASS – SHIREN'S REVELATION]
(The shadows deepen as Shiren's voice lowers to a whisper—less a confession, more a warning.)
SHIREN: "You belong to none of their classes… because you are mine. 'MUSHI-CLASS.' (無死)—The Undying Hollow."
(And with that name comes visions: A void where stars go to die. A hunger that devours even time itself. Ryo feels it—the truth in his marrow. He is something new. Something terrifying.)
(Ryo becomes a fanboy in this scene gloating about the way the transformation looked and it's cool unique appearance, Shiren feels embarrassed by this type of behavior.)
Ryo: "It looked so fire! I mean I genuinely don't think I'll ever feel like that again."
(Shiren's presence bristles with irritation, but there's a hint of amusement in its voice.)
SHIREN: "Are you done with your adolescent infatuation? Your transformation is a test of will, not a fashion statement. But if it eases your fragile ego... yes, I suppose it's quite stunning. Now—focus."
(Shiren's presence slithers through Ryo's mind—a cold chill across his senses.)
SHIREN: "Listen well, for I won't repeat myself—especially not for (you). Ren is more than he seems. Your friend? Your ally? Those are illusions. Be wary—and choose the right side when the time comes. For your sake... and hers."
(Yua's name is left unspoken, but the implication hangs heavy in the air. Danger approaches.)
(Ryo is about to ask what will happen, but then a vision plays its very hazy, but a future him running towards a sight of battle and then stops as what he sees horrifies him.)
(The vision floods Ryo's mind—a fractured glimpse of carnage. A battlefield painted in hues of crimson and shadow, where the sky itself bleeds. In the distance, a figure kneels—Ren, but twisted beyond recognition, his eyes hollow voids. Yua lies motionless nearby. Future-Ryo's scream is soundless, drowned by the roar of collapsing worlds.)
(Then—darkness. The vision snaps like a thread. Shiren withdraws. Ryo is left gasping, sweat-drenched, hands trembling.)
SHIREN (final whisper): "Decide quickly... before fate decides for you."
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🌀 End of Chapter Fourteen