🔥 EPISODE 20 — "SOMEONE STILL BREATHING"
SCENE 1 — ILYA'S SIDE OF THE SILENCE
Ilya wakes before sunrise.
The charm on her wrist is warm.
Too warm.
She sits up, breath tight.
Not panic.
Instinct.
"You're not dead," she whispers.
"…So stop pretending."
She doesn't pack.
She doesn't tell anyone.
She just starts walking.
SCENE 2 — KAIEN MAKES THE WRONG CHOICE
Kaien stands at a crossroads.
Three paths.
He knows which one Aryex took.
He also knows where Shadow would intercept.
Kaien closes his eyes.
"…Damn it, boy."
He turns—not following Aryex.
Intercepting Shadow.
For the first time in years, Kaien chooses interference over regret.
SCENE 3 — ARYEX COLLAPSES (NOT FROM WEAKNESS)
Back on the road.
Aryex staggers.
Not wounded.
Not tired.
The mark burns again.
This time deeper.
He drops his blade.
Falls forward.
Not asleep.
Not unconscious.
Pulled.
The world stretches—
—and folds.
SCENE 4 — SHADOW TAKES WHAT IT FEARS
They arrive silently.
No beasts.
No chaos.
Professionals.
They don't bind him.
They don't hurt him.
One checks his pulse.
"Stable."
Another nods.
"The mark confirmed."
They lift him carefully.
Like something fragile.
Like something dangerous.
The road is empty again.
SCENE 5 — THREE PEOPLE FEEL IT
Ilya stops walking.
Hand to chest.
"…You're in trouble."
Kaien feels the shift.
Shadow has moved early.
"Too soon," he growls.
And deep beneath the earth—
the Shadow Lord smiles.
Not because Aryex is weak.
Because he's not.
FINAL SHOT
Aryex breathes in darkness.
The mark pulses.
And the dream begins—
not as comfort.
As permission.
CUT TO BLACK..