Scene 1:
"In Kurogane, power isn't earned-it's inked onto ones body from divine artists. The rich soar in spires, wearing divine tattoos like jewelry. We rot in the slums, praying for scraps of pigment. They call artists like me 'grave robbers.' But when the gods abandon you... you dig.
THE PARLOR OF BROKEN DREAMS
EXT. HIDEO'S TATTOO PARLOR - DAWN
Rain slicks the corroded metal shanties of the Ashen Slums. The sign "HIDEO'S INKWELL" hangs crooked,neon dimly lit letters flashing.
INT. PARLOR - CONTINUOUS
KAITO (17), lanky and ink-stained, cleans rusty needles. His eyes linger on a faded photo: HIDEO (60s), stern but kind-eyed, arm around a 12-year-old Kaito. Behind them-a massive mural of floating spires and winged tattooed.
KAITO (V.O):
"Sensei called tattoos 'skin-poetry.' But poetry doesn't feed you in the slums. Not after the Guild banned slum artists from using real pigment... or breathing if they catch you."
He touches his own bare skin smooth, unmarked.
KAITO (Muttering):
"Still not worthy, huh, old man?"
A BANG at the door. BRASS (40s), enforcer leader, enters dripping sludge. Knuckle tattoos glowing dully
Brass:
"Fee's late, kid. Two hundred coins. Or I break Hideo's legacy one bone at a time."
He smashes his fist into a shelf - pigment jars shatter. Ink drips like blood.
KAITO (Eyes on Brass's knuckles):
"Take the coins. Then crawl back to your Guild masters."
Brass pockets the coins and notices Hideo's photo
BRASS:
"Still worshipping that corpse? Heard he coughed up black ink when they burned him. Pathetic."
He crushes the frame underfoot, taking his leave.
KAITO (clenching a needle):
"...One day. I'll erase those marks right off your hands."
*stomach gurgles*
KAITO:
"Damn, im hungry..guess I'll go make something."
Kaito walks through his empty but warm cozy homestead. As he enters his kitchen, he opens the fridge to check for anything to eat but finds it empty. Kaito grumply sighs and goes to sleep on a thin, dirty matress, switching the lights off beforehand.
MORNING:
Kaito wakes up yawning and starts his day by honoring a shattered frame of Hideo and embarks on a relic hunt leaving his homestead.
Kaito, holding a crumpled note, reads it.
KAITO:
"I left you my final gift, Kaito. Find it under the Bone Church Sanctum.." -Hideo
Kaito then slips the note into his pockets and goes to search for the sanctum.
Arriving at the sanctum Kaito first goes into the building,looking around the area while admiring the art on the ceiling high up,as he is looking around he notices a prominent crack in the floor with this ominous dark glow emiting from the ground,Kaito Curious approaches this mysterious glow and is surprised to find a silver tattoo pen with a rose tip lying on the ground between the cracks,intrigued he reaches for the machine and then suddenly hes hand is wrapped in some black liquid lining ever so slightly tightening itself around his hand and fingers. Kaito taken aback he tries pulling and scratching on this mysterious liquid forming around hes hand but to no avail, the pen has taken a liking to Kaito and is merging it self with hes hand Kaito screaming in pain then faints.
Several minutes pass, and Kaito finally wakes up.
The pen-still in his hand but no sign of any black liquid wrapping his hand.
As Kaito gains back his consciousness, he comes across as familiar face..
SCENE 2: GRAVEROBBER'S GAMBIT
INT. BONE CHURCH SANCTUM - Morning
BRASS (O.S):
"Touching Guild property, worm?"
Brass blocks the entrance of the sanctum , Bone-white energy coils around his fists.
Kaito confused responds
KAITO:
"Huh?"
"What property?"
BRASS:
"That pen you have there seems like a relic hand it over."
KAITO:
"Huh?!!"
"I found this, so this is mine!"
BRASS:
"Not anymore kid, hand it over now that im asking nicely."
KAITO:
"Like He'll i will!"
BRASS:
"Tch,Ignorant Brat."
Brass brushed the back of his hand against the tattoo on his shoulder. Skeletal brass knuckles wrapped his knuckles, his tattoo popped out of his body and turned into weapons ,Brass then charges forward at Kaito
Kaito strengthens the grip around the pen and attempts something no one in the history of kurogane has seen before. He begins to draw a tattoo on his forearm then and there. Shadows shift,dark energy and ink stars pouring out like a pen cartilage exploded.Kaito finished needling, and the scene shows Kaito has drawn a Vine Rose on hes forearm.
Brass looking upon this predicament..
BRASS:
"Doodling on himself at this moment?, has he given up already?."
Kaitos tattoo starts glowing and emitting a bright light as if his drawing really came to life..
BRASS:
"Huh?,is that.... impossible! I was sure he had no marks(tattoos)unless..:
"Did that Brat give himself a divine mark?..no that's impossible. Only divine artists can do that."
KAITO:
"These catacombs aren't Guild territory!"
"I won't let you have this pen!"
BRASS (Charging):
"Everything is Guild territory!"
"I'll take that relic by force!"
Vines with roses growing out of them start swirling around Kaitos arms, giving Kaito a green spiky look!
KAITO (Panicked):
"Sensei's roses..."
Flashback: HIDEO tending a single crimson rose in a rusted tin can.
HIDEO (Memory): "Beauty persists, Kaito. Even in difficult situations. "
Kaito with his sketched wild rose vines swirling up his forearm - thorns and petals intertwined. Faces brass head on with no sign of losing.
Rose vines EXPLODE from his skin! They coil like serpents - thorns gleaming like daggers, petals swirling like razor-disks.
BRASS (Laughing):
"Flowers?! I'll CRUSH your-"
He swings. Thick vines WRAP his fist mid-punch!
The vines PULL, using Brass's momentum to slam him into the wall..