Opening Scene – The Battlefield Breathes
The forest had grown colder.
The mist pressed down like a living thing, curling around trunks, wrapping the earth in its pale arms. Kaen felt as though he were drowning in it with every breath. Even the crunch of twigs beneath boots seemed swallowed whole, leaving only silence.
The five of them crouched low behind a fallen log slick with moss. No one dared speak above a whisper.
Then—
CAW!
A crow's cry split the quiet, sudden and jagged.
Fin flinched so hard he nearly yelped, hand flying to his dagger. Daren gritted his teeth, muttering curses under his breath. Lyra's eyes flickered sharply through the mist, calculating.
Kaen didn't move. His gaze stayed locked on the wavering silhouettes in the fog. Shapes that didn't belong.
Tall. Still. Watching.
Five of them.
The Special Squad.
Their figures blurred and melted back into the haze as if the mist itself had swallowed them. The silence they left behind was heavier than their presence.
Kaen's breath hitched.
(The air itself feels like it wants to kill us. If we move wrong… we're next.)
→ Close-up of Kaen's trembling iris, faint sweat trickling down.
→ Wide shot: the empty fog where shadows had stood.
→ Silence.
Building Tension – The First Strategy
Riku crouched lower, jaw set, voice hushed.
"Listen. Fighting them head-on is suicide. We don't match their speed, their strength, or their training."
Lyra's tone was sharp but steady.
"Then we use the terrain. The rivers can erase tracks, the trees give us cover. If we can see them first, we'll last longer."
Daren's hands clenched fists, knuckles pale.
"So, what? We run and hide for three days? That's your grand plan?"
Riku glared back, but didn't raise his voice.
"If hiding keeps us alive, then yes."
Kaen noticed Fin shifting, eyes darting over his shoulder again and again, whispering almost to himself:
"They're already watching… they're already here…"
Kaen grabbed his arm.
"Focus. Stay with us."
The group huddled closer, whispering their survival rules.
Plan:
No open spaces.
No splitting unless life depends on it.
Secure a vantage point before nightfall.
But even as they made their pact, Kaen's skin prickled.
Behind them, unseen by all, a shadow slid through the fog. A faint silhouette paused, head tilting—then vanished again.
Other Teams – Parallel Survival Attempts
Far off, another group made a bolder choice.
Team A had chosen to fight.
In a clearing, ropes stretched taut between trees. Shallow pits were covered with leaves. Rocks had been stacked, ready to roll.
One boy grinned nervously.
"When they step here, they'll never know what hit—"
Snap.
The faintest crack of a twig. Everyone froze.
Before they could react, something moved behind them.
A masked warrior stepped out of the fog, silent as death. Before the boy could finish his gasp, a precise strike to the neck dropped him unconscious.
Another shadow swept in, dismantling the traps with one fluid motion, ropes and branches falling useless to the ground.
"Wha—?! How did—?!"
The team scattered, panicked shouts swallowed by the mist. Their blades slashed wildly at shadows that weren't there.
One by one, glowing red marks flared on their bodies. Eliminated.
The screams cut off sharply. Silence returned.
Kaen's team froze at the distant echoes.
Fin whispered, voice cracking:
"…another team's gone."
No one answered. The silence after the screams said enough.
Suspense Focus – Paranoia and Fear
They pressed onward, moving like shadows themselves, hugging the ruined stone wall of an ancient road.
Every sound felt amplified.
The squelch of damp soil.
The flutter of wings overhead.
Even the sound of their own breath, harsh and quick.
Snap.
They froze.
A rabbit burst from the underbrush, darting across the moss. Its tiny feet pattered against the earth.
Everyone exhaled—except Kaen. His eyes were fixed on the tree trunk nearby.
Deep gouges ran down its bark, claw marks… too high, too wide for any natural beast.
Lyra followed his gaze, expression grim.
"They're not just hunting us. They're reminding us."
Daren spat bitterly.
"Yeah? Well, it's working."
Strategic Shelter
By midday, they found the outline of a ruined watchtower, its stones cracked, ivy choking its walls.
"This will do," Riku whispered. "A lookout. If they come close, we'll see them first."
Kaen volunteered to climb. His hands scraped rough stone as he hauled himself upward, mist tugging at his vision.
From the top, the fog parted for a fleeting moment. His breath caught.
In the distance—another team, sprinting desperately through the forest. Behind them, a faint gleam of steel cut through the haze.
Kaen's voice was low, sharp with dread:
"We're not the only ones being hunted tonight."
Second Team Elimination – Cinematic
Team B stumbled through the forest, four trainees huddled close, torches clutched in trembling hands. The fire's glow flickered against the mist, casting warped shadows.
Then—crack! A stone landed among them, scattering sparks.
The torch fell.
Darkness swallowed the clearing.
Panic exploded.
"Where—where are they?!"
"I can't see!"
Steel flashed once. A spear butt slammed into one trainee's ribs, dropping him. Another's weapon was knocked clean from his hands before he even knew where the attack came from.
The last two tried to flee—but a lone figure stepped from the fog ahead. He wasn't armed. He didn't need to be.
With bare hands, he caught their blades, twisted, and in two fluid motions disarmed both.
The red flare of elimination marks lit the mist like dying stars.
From his tower perch, Kaen's nails dug into stone until blood smeared the cracks.
(They're not just strong… they're toying with us.)
Group Dynamics – Emotional Core
Inside the tower ruins, fear pressed heavier than the mist.
Fin's hands shook violently.
"Why are we here? We'll never last three days. We should've never—never—"
"Shut up!" Daren snapped, voice harsh. "You'll get us all killed whining like that!"
Fin recoiled, almost in tears.
But Riku lifted a hand, silencing them.
"No. Let him speak. Fear keeps us cautious. But if we let it rule us…" His voice softened. "Then we're already dead."
Lyra's eyes gleamed with sharp calm.
"Then we turn fear back on them. They expect us to break. Let's make them think we're weaker than we are."
Close-ups on each face.
Fin's pale panic.
Daren's clenched fury.
Riku's steady determination.
Lyra's cold clarity.
And Kaen—silent, torn between fear and the faintest spark of resolve.
Suspense Twist – Almost Caught
They left the tower at dusk. The mist had thickened, shadows stretching long.
Crunch. Crunch.
Footsteps. Not theirs.
They dove into the underbrush, hearts hammering.
A masked warrior strolled into view, steps deliberate. His boots stopped inches from where Kaen lay pressed to the soil.
Drip… drip… Sweat slid down Kaen's temple. His throat burned with the urge to breathe deeper, but he didn't dare.
The warrior tilted his head, as if listening. Silence stretched unbearably long.
Then—he turned, walking away into the fog.
Only after a full minute passed did the group release their held breaths.
Fin nearly collapsed, whispering between sobs.
"He knew. He knew we were here."
Kaen swallowed hard, staring after the fading shadow.
(That wasn't mercy. That was a warning.)
Ending Scene – Cliffhanger
Night fell like a suffocating blanket. The mist grew thicker, swallowing the stars.
The group huddled in a shallow cave near a river. Dripping water echoed inside, too loud, too sharp. Every gust of wind outside made them flinch.
Kaen closed his eyes, exhaustion dragging him down—
Fwooo…
A low whistle cut through the fog.
The exact same whistle that had signaled the exam's beginning.
Kaen's eyes flew open, blood running cold.
(They're closer than we thought.)
Final shot: close-up of his wide eyes, reflection of pale moonlight in them, the echo of the whistle stretching into silence.