Even before stepping into the conference room, Bruce and Sasha were already carrying an anxiety that was hard to hide. Inside the elevator, the space felt far too small to contain the silent anticipation building between them. Bruce tapped his fingers lightly against the side of the document folder without realizing it, his eyes fixed on the floor indicator slowly climbing upward, each second feeling deliberately drawn out.
Sasha noticed his restlessness immediately. She knew Bruce well enough to catch those subtle tells.
"If you keep that up, you're going to punch a hole through that folder," she said lightly, trying to ease the tension.
Bruce let out a short, humorless laugh and took a deep breath.
"How am I supposed to stay calm?" he replied quietly. "It's Alex. After Bleach, any invitation from him can only mean something big. Really big."
She didn't argue. Even while trying to stay grounded, Sasha felt the same tightness in her chest. Bleach had just become a full-blown national phenomenon. Being part of its continuation wasn't just another job-it meant standing at the very center of the industry's biggest conversation.
"Which arc do you think it'll be?" Sasha asked after a moment. "Something even bigger than the Soul Society?"
Bruce didn't hesitate.
"Definitely." His eyes flickered with excitement. "Swords, powers, insane effects…" He laughed softly, already picturing it. "If I get to wear one of those uniforms, it's already worth it."
Scenes overlapped in his mind-sweeping cameras, explosive music, the roar of the audience. He knew he was letting his expectations run wild, but there was no stopping them now.
When the elevator doors opened and they walked down the corridor toward the conference room, that sense of anticipation only grew stronger. The space was modern, quiet, almost sterile-a sharp contrast to the storm of emotions brewing inside Bruce.
Alex was already there, seated at the center of the table. His posture was relaxed, almost casual, as if he weren't about to determine the direction of a major project-and possibly other people's futures.
"Welcome," Alex said plainly. "Bruce, Sasha… take a look at the script first."
No long introductions. No deliberate suspense. He simply slid the script across the table.
Bruce picked it up almost reverently.
And froze.
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Phantom Blood.
For a moment, he thought he'd read it wrong. He blinked, leaned closer, read it again. The title didn't change.
"…Huh?" slipped out before he could stop himself.
Sasha tilted her head, confused, and read the title more carefully as well.
"Director Alex…" Bruce slowly raised his eyes, as if still hoping this was some kind of joke. "This isn't… Bleach?"
Alex rested an elbow on the table and smiled calmly.
"When did I ever say it was Bleach?"
The question hit like a bucket of cold water.
Bruce opened his mouth, closed it again, and rubbed his face. The dinner conversation from that night replayed clearly in his mind. Alex had promised him a role. He'd said "the next project." But thinking back now… he'd never once mentioned Bleach.
The realization landed hard.
All the excitement he'd been carrying since the elevator collapsed in an instant.
If this had been any other director, Bruce probably would've changed his expression on the spot-maybe cracked a bitter joke, maybe stood up and left. But this was Alex. The same Alex who had just reset the bar for action dramas across the country.
Swallowing his frustration, Bruce took a deep breath and forced himself to sit properly.
"Alright…" he muttered, clearly deflated. "Let's read it, then."
He opened the script, but the spark in his eyes was gone. His face now looked like someone who had just lost something precious. Sasha, on the other hand, remained composed. She understood how much Bleach meant to Bruce. With a faint smile, she turned the first page and began reading seriously.
The title alone gave nothing away. JoJo's Bizarre Adventure said absolutely nothing about what kind of story it was.
And the opening setting only deepened the confusion.
Late 18th century. Britain. An aristocratic family. A stone mask.
"Vampires…?" Sasha murmured, lightly furrowing her brow.
"Ripple energy…" Bruce read under his breath, each word sounding further from what he had expected. "This is nothing like Bleach…"
Alex's signature was there, unmistakably so. The writing was sharp, the atmosphere heavy, the characters clearly defined from the very first scenes. Still, emotionally, Bruce couldn't shake the massive shadow Bleach had cast.
He couldn't hold it in.
"Director Alex," he said, lifting his eyes from the script, frustration spilling out unfiltered. "To be honest… this feels weaker than Bleach."
The words came out harsher than intended. Sasha shot him a quick look, silently urging caution, but Bruce truly couldn't stop himself. If he'd read this before Bleach existed, he would've praised it without hesitation. It was leagues better than the disaster he'd recently filmed with Rebeca Verne. But the timing was brutal. Bleach had raised expectations to an almost unfair level.
Alex didn't react at all.
"Finish reading," he said simply, his smile untroubled.
No argument. No explanation.
Bruce exhaled slowly and returned to the script, still irritated. But page by page, something began to shift. The rivalry between Jonathan and Dio grew heavier, more suffocating. The tension climbed relentlessly, with no cheap relief.
When he reached the scene where Zeppeli shouted, voice filled with absolute conviction-
"The song of humanity is the song of courage! The greatness of humanity is the greatness of courage!"
-the impact hit Bruce squarely.
His nose stung. His chest tightened. He closed his eyes for a brief moment.
Damn it.
He'd spoken too soon.
Phantom Blood didn't have the vast scope of Bleach. There was no massive world, no endless factions. But it was intense, tragic, razor-sharp. A short, focused story that struck exactly where it needed to.
"They… die?" Sasha asked softly when she reached the end, stunned.
Jonathan and Dio sinking together into the sea. No redemption. No return.
She sat silently for a few seconds, still processing it.
"I thought… after the marriage…" she murmured, shaking her head in disbelief.
Alex watched them without rushing.
"Don't worry," he said at last. "I have a plan."
He then explained the core concept of the JOJO series-each part with a new protagonist, a lineage, a legacy passed down through generations. A bold structure that few works dared to attempt-and one that, against all odds, succeeded.
Bruce listened in silence. When Alex finished, he bit his lower lip, thought for a few seconds, then slammed his hand lightly on the table.
"I'm in."
He still wanted Bleach. He wanted it badly. But after his recent failure, he needed a strong project-something that would prove, once and for all, that he still had weight as an actor.
"Director Alex…" Sasha asked hesitantly. "Am I playing Erina?"
There was uncertainty in her voice-about the role, the age, the character itself.
Bruce tensed as well. After all, Alex was playing Dio. And Dio had kissing scenes with Erina.
Alex chuckled softly.
"Relax," he said casually. "Sasha, you'll be playing Erina… in the next part."
The silence that followed was no longer disappointment.
It was anticipation.
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