**Part 1**
*(Dramatic script format – shadow-slave style)*
FADE IN:
EXT. GANDHRA ENCLAVE – NIGHT – BLOOD MOON
Crimson bleeds slow across black cliffs. Torches spit smoke like dying lungs. Wind carries iron and burnt sandalwood.
Low CHANTING claws up from the stone circle.
CUT TO:
INT. BIRTHING CHAMBER – CONTINUOUS
Flagstones slick with oil and blood. Midwives circle, palms already crimson.
KAVYA (mid-20s, eyes hollowed by grief and slow poison) lies on wolf furs. Body arches. Scream rips free — ancient, betrayed.
KAVYA
(whisper, cracked)
Why tonight… why this child… why still me…
Nails rake her forearm. Thin scarlet threads bloom.
KAVYA (V.O.)
Answer, hollow thing.
Because they carved you empty years ago.
Because the drops still sing behind your teeth.
Because the man who chained you never spoke your name without counting its worth.
VIKRANT (late 30s, broad, scarred, eyes storm-cut flint) stands in the doorway. Does not cross.
VIKRANT
(low)
Gods… if this is favor, it arrives with teeth.
VIKRANT (inner voice)
Why now?
After every trial I crushed, every rival I buried, every elder I forced to kneel?
Why hand the bridge to an infant instead of the warrior who bled for it?
Midwife lifts the newborn into red moonlight. Infant GASPS once — torch flames bend toward him like iron to lodestone.
Twin lights flare — molten gold, cold silver — then sink.
Silence like a dropped blade.
MIDWIFE
(voice splintering)
Dual… dual blessing…
Kavya reaches, trembling.
KAVYA
Give him… give him…
Vikrant steps in. Hand hovers, then recoils.
VIKRANT
(breath)
What are you?
VIKRANT (inner voice)
Salvation or ruin?
Bridge or noose?
Why do the gods laugh inside my ribs?
Deepest shadow — unseen —
RAVAN (early 30s, lean as famine, cowl low, lips curved like a man who already knows the grave).
RAVAN (inner voice)
Why him?
Why not me?
I tied the knot.
I broke the woman.
I cracked the peace like dry bone.
And still they anoint the blood I tried to drown.
Fingers a crystal vial. Liquid catches moon-red like trapped venom.
RAVAN (murmur)
Soon.
Kavya cradles Aryan. Tears strike his brow. Tiny fist closes around her finger — impossibly strong.
KAVYA (V.O.)
If you are the bridge…
let me be the first stone you shatter on your way across.
Vikrant turns away. Shoulders stone, but they quiver once.
VIKRANT (inner voice)
I will keep you breathing.
Even if I have to slaughter every voice that names you curse.
RAVAN (inner voice, overlapping)
And I will make sure the slaughter finds you first.
Blood moon slips behind cloud. Darkness folds like a shroud.
Only newborn's calm breathing cuts the silence.
FADE OUT.
**Part 2**
*(Three years later – Aryan is now 6½, already showing the cruel edge of someone who knows the world tried to kill him before he could walk)*
FADE IN:
EXT. HIDDEN VALLEY – LATE AFTERNOON – GOLDEN HOUR
The valley is quiet except for the distant roar of a waterfall. Sun bleeds orange across the pines. A small clearing near the house has become Aryan's private battlefield.
Aryan (6½, skinny but wiry, dark hair falling into gold-flecked eyes that never blink long enough) squats over a wounded hare. The animal's leg is twisted wrong — caught in one of Vikrant's old snares.
The hare twitches, eyes wide with animal panic.
Aryan tilts his head. Studies it like a puzzle.
ARYAN
(soft, almost gentle)
You should have run faster.
He reaches out. Tiny fingers hover above the broken leg. A thin silver thread of power leaks from his palm — cold, precise. The hare's leg straightens with a wet CRACK.
The animal freezes. Then bolts — three frantic hops — before collapsing again, heart giving out from shock.
Aryan watches it die. No smile. No frown. Just… observation.
ARYAN (inner voice)
Why did it die after I fixed it?
Why does helping sometimes hurt more?
He stands. Wipes dirt on his tunic. Looks toward the house.
Kavya stands on the porch, arms crossed, watching him. Her face is stone, but her eyes are wet.
KAVYA (inner voice)
Why does my son look at death like it's homework?
Why do I feel proud and sick at the same time?
She calls out — voice steady.
KAVYA
Aryan. Inside. Supper.
Aryan walks past the dead hare without looking back.
ARYAN
It wasn't strong enough.
Kavya flinches at the words. Says nothing.
CUT TO:
INT. HOUSE – NIGHT – FIRELIGHT
Vikrant sits sharpening his dagger. The scrape of whetstone is rhythmic, almost meditative.
Aryan sits across from him, cross-legged, staring at the blade.
ARYAN
Papa… if someone tries to kill me again…
can I kill them first?
Vikrant's hand stops. The whetstone hovers.
VIKRANT
You're six.
ARYAN
I know how old I am.
I also know you almost killed me once.
Vikrant's face cracks — just for a second.
VIKRANT (inner voice)
Gods, how does he know?
How long has he carried that scar inside?
VIKRANT
(low, hoarse)
Who told you that?
ARYAN
Nobody.
I remember the dream.
Your hand shaking.
The knife stopping an inch from my eye.
Vikrant sets the dagger down. Hard.
VIKRANT
It wasn't me.
It was poison in my head.
ARYAN
Then I'll make sure no one poisons mine.
Aryan reaches out — casual — and the dagger lifts off the table. Floats between them, spinning slowly. Gold and silver light dances along the edge.
Vikrant stares. Not proud. Not horrified. Just… tired.
VIKRANT
Put it down.
Aryan lets it drop. Clatters loud in the silence.
ARYAN
I'm not afraid of power.
I'm afraid of being weak like the hare.
Kavya enters from the other room. Hears the last line. Freezes in the doorway.
KAVYA (inner voice)
He's already crueler than both of us combined.
And he's only six.
She forces a smile.
KAVYA
Bedtime.
Aryan stands. Walks past her. Pauses.
ARYAN
(quiet, to Kavya)
Don't cry, Ma.
I'll protect us.
Even if I have to become the monster they wanted dead.
He continues to his small cot.
Kavya looks at Vikrant. No words. Just shared terror.
CUT TO:
EXT. VALLEY – SAME NIGHT – MOON HIGH
Ravan crouches on the opposite ridge. Black cloak blends with shadow. He watches the house lights dim.
In his hand — the same dark vial from years ago. Untouched.
RAVAN (inner voice)
Why does the boy scare me now?
Why do I want to see how cruel he can get before he breaks?
Why does watching him feel like farming my own grave?
He uncorks the vial. Sniffs once. Smiles — thin, sick.
RAVAN
(to the night)
Grow, little bridge.
Grow sharp.
The deeper the roots…
the sweeter the snap.
He pours one drop onto the ground. The grass blackens instantly. Dies without sound.
Ravan stands. Vanishes into the dark.
FADE OUT.
**Part 3**
*(Four years later – Aryan now 7)*
FADE IN:
EXT. VALLEY RIM – NIGHT – MOONLESS
Stars cold, sharp as broken glass.
Aryan crouches behind boulder. Breath fogs. In palm — small flame twists gold and silver, no heat.
Closes fist. Flame dies.
ARYAN
(to himself)
Why won't it stay when I call it?
Footsteps. Vikrant appears — grayer temples, eyes more haunted.
VIKRANT
You shouldn't wander alone at night.
Aryan doesn't startle.
ARYAN
I'm training.
VIKRANT
Training what?
ARYAN
To be enough.
Vikrant kneels. Studies him.
VIKRANT (inner voice)
Why does he speak like a man already?
Why does he carry the weight I tried to bury under years?
Why can't I just tell him who hunts him?
VIKRANT
You are enough.
More than I ever was.
Aryan looks up — searching.
ARYAN
Then why do you look at me like I'm a scar that keeps bleeding?
Vikrant flinches.
VIKRANT
Because I…
(swallows)
Because I almost lost you once.
ARYAN
When?
Vikrant cannot answer.
From high ridge — Ravan stands black against blacker sky. Short bow. Arrow nocked. Tip wet — poison.
RAVAN (inner voice)
Why wait?
Why not now?
Why does some sick part of me want to watch him climb higher before the fall?
Lowers bow — fraction.
RAVAN
(to wind)
Let roots grow deep first.
Deep roots tear louder when they rip.
Aryan suddenly looks up — toward ridge.
ARYAN
Someone's there.
Vikrant draws blade in one breath.
VIKRANT
Behind me.
Ridge empty.
Only wind answers.
Aryan's small hand finds Vikrant's — squeezes.
ARYAN (soft)
It's okay, Papa.
I'm not scared yet.
Vikrant's jaw locks.
VIKRANT (inner voice)
But I am.
FADE OUT.
**Part 4**
*(Nine years later – Aryan now 16)*
FADE IN:
EXT. LAND OF GOLD – OUTSKIRT RIDGE – TWILIGHT
Golden veins pulse faintly under cracked earth. Distant campfires of both clans flicker like wary eyes.
Aryan (16, tall now, lean muscle under dark tunic, eyes gold-flecked and unreadable) stands alone on the ridge. Wind tears at his cloak.
In his open palm — flame no longer small. Gold and silver coil into a tight, spinning orb — stable, hot, alive.
He closes fingers. Orb collapses inward — silent implosion — then vanishes.
ARYAN
(quiet, to himself)
Finally… it stays.
He exhales. First real breath in years.
ARYAN (inner voice)
Why does control feel like betrayal?
Why does power taste like the blood I haven't spilled yet?
Why do I still hear my mother crying in every quiet moment?
Footsteps behind.
Kavya approaches — older, thinner, but spine straight. Eyes still carry ghosts.
KAVYA
You're pushing too hard.
Aryan doesn't turn.
ARYAN
I have to.
KAVYA
You don't have to become the weapon they fear.
Aryan finally looks at her.
ARYAN
Then what should I become?
The boy they tried to kill?
The son they lied to?
Kavya steps closer.
KAVYA
The man who chooses.
Aryan's laugh is short, bitter.
ARYAN
Choice was stolen before I was born.
From far below — among the golden veins — Ravan moves like smoke between rocks. No longer hiding. Face older, harder. Scar now a deep line.
He watches Aryan on the ridge.
RAVAN (inner voice)
Why does he shine brighter every year?
Why does the boy I tried to erase become the one thing I cannot look away from?
Why does part of me… admire him?
He draws a long, curved knife — not to throw. To hold.
RAVAN
(soft, almost to himself)
You were supposed to die quietly.
Not grow into this.
Aryan suddenly tenses — senses the gaze.
Turns toward the valley.
ARYAN
He's here.
Kavya grabs his arm.
KAVYA
Not tonight.
Aryan pulls free gently.
ARYAN
Tonight or tomorrow… it ends the same.
He steps forward — toward the golden glow below.
Flame reignites in his palm — larger, brighter, unafraid.
ARYAN (inner voice)
Let him come.
Let them all come.
The bridge is finished.
Now we burn it — or cross it.
FADE OUT.
**Part 5**
*(Six years later – Aryan is now 12½. The hidden valley feels smaller every day. Cruelty has roots now.)*
FADE IN:
EXT. VALLEY TRAINING GROUND – MIDDAY – HARSH SUN
Dust swirls. Aryan stands shirtless, sweat carving lines down lean muscle already too hard for a boy. Around him: five wooden dummies carved rough like men.
He breathes once. Deep.
Both hands rise. Gold-silver flame ignites in each palm — not wild anymore, surgical.
He flicks wrists.
Flames lance forward like spears. Five dummies explode simultaneously — wood splinters, char, ash. Not one survives intact.
Aryan lowers hands. No celebration. Just checks his breathing.
ARYAN (inner voice)
Still too slow on the fifth.
Weakness lingers like smell on skin.
From the tree line — Kavya watches, hidden. Her knuckles white around a branch.
KAVYA (inner voice)
He trains like someone expecting war tomorrow.
Because he is.
CUT TO:
INT. HOUSE – EVENING
Vikrant bandages a fresh cut on Aryan's forearm — training wound.
VIKRANT
You pushed too far today.
ARYAN
I pushed exactly far enough.
Vikrant ties the knot tighter than necessary.
VIKRANT
You enjoy the pain?
ARYAN
I enjoy control.
A beat.
ARYAN
Papa… how many people have you killed?
Vikrant freezes. Looks at his son — really looks.
VIKRANT
More than I count.
ARYAN
Did any deserve it?
VIKRANT
Some. Most… just in the way.
Aryan nods once. Like filing information.
ARYAN
Good to know.
Kavya enters. Hears the end. Her face pales.
KAVYA
Enough.
She pulls Aryan away. Into his small room.
KAVYA
You don't have to become this.
ARYAN
I already am.
He turns away. Kavya grabs his shoulder — hard.
KAVYA
You are still my son.
Aryan looks back. Eyes cold gold.
ARYAN
Then why do you flinch when I look at you?
Kavya lets go. Steps back. Tears threaten but don't fall.
KAVYA (inner voice)
Because I'm looking at the thing that will outlive us all.
And it scares me more than death.
FADE OUT.
**Part 6**
*(Aryan 13 – First blood, unwilling but inevitable)*
FADE IN:
EXT. VALLEY EDGE – DAWN – FOG THICK
Three strangers — ragged mercenaries, blades dull but hungry — creep through mist. Hired by whispers from Gandhra elders. "The cursed child still breathes."
Aryan waits on a fallen log. Alone. Deliberate.
They spot him. Spread out. Grinning.
MERC 1
Easy coin, boy.
Aryan stands. Slowly.
ARYAN
You came for me.
MERC 2
Aye. And we'll take your head back in a sack.
Aryan tilts head.
ARYAN
You should have brought more.
Flame erupts — not from hands, from the ground beneath them. Gold-silver roots burst up, wrap ankles, snap bones.
Screams.
One merc breaks free. Lunges with sword.
Aryan steps aside — casual. Grabs the wrist. Twists. Bone cracks.
Merc drops. Aryan kneels. Looks into terrified eyes.
ARYAN
Who sent you?
Merc spits blood.
MERC
Your uncle… says you're a demon.
Aryan smiles — first real one in years. Small. Sharp.
ARYAN
Tell him I'm awake.
He stands. Flame surges once. Merc's body chars black — silent, clean.
Aryan walks away. Leaves two alive — crawling, broken.
ARYAN (inner voice)
Mercy is a luxury I can't afford.
But information… that's currency.
CUT TO:
INT. HOUSE – LATER THAT MORNING
Vikrant finds Aryan washing blood from hands in the stream basin.
VIKRANT
How many?
ARYAN
Three came. Two left breathing. One didn't need to.
Vikrant nods once.
VIKRANT
They know you're alive.
ARYAN
Good.
Kavya enters. Sees the blood. Drops the bowl she carried.
KAVYA
Aryan…
ARYAN
They came to kill me, Ma.
I answered.
She crosses to him. Touches his cheek — trembling.
KAVYA
You're still my boy.
Aryan doesn't pull away. But his eyes stay distant.
ARYAN
Your boy just became a killer.
FADE OUT.
**Part 7**
*(Ravan's aura farming – he begins to "collect" Aryan's cruelty like trophies)*
FADE IN:
EXT. ABANDONED GANDHRA OUTPOST – NIGHT – RAIN
Ravan stands under leaking roof. Before him: two surviving mercenaries — broken, chained.
He circles slow.
RAVAN
Tell me again.
How did the boy do it?
Merc 1 — voice cracked.
MERC 1
Flames from the earth… like roots.
Snapped legs. Burned the third without touching him.
Ravan smiles — slow, satisfied.
RAVAN
Beautiful.
He kneels. Lifts merc's chin.
RAVAN
Did he hesitate?
MERC 2
No.
He asked who sent us… then ended it.
Ravan stands. Laughs — low, delighted.
RAVAN (inner voice)
He's farming cruelty like I farm fear.
My nephew… my finest harvest.
He draws the dark vial. Lets one drop fall on each merc's wound.
Flesh sizzles. They scream.
RAVAN
Shhh.
This is tribute.
For the bridge that's learning to cut.
He walks into rain. Leaves them writhing.
RAVAN
(to sky)
Grow crueler, Aryan.
The Land of Gold waits for monsters.
FADE OUT.
**Part 8**
*(Aryan 14 – The first lie he tells himself)*
FADE IN:
EXT. VALLEY – CLIFF EDGE – SUNSET
Aryan sits alone. Legs dangling over drop. Wind tears at hair.
In his palm: small flame spins — controlled, perfect.
He closes fist. Opens. Flame gone.
ARYAN (inner voice)
I killed because I had to.
Not because I wanted to.
A long silence.
ARYAN (inner voice, quieter)
Liar.
He stands. Looks toward distant golden haze — the Land of Gold.
ARYAN
Soon.
He turns back toward house. Walks.
Behind him — unseen — Ravan watches from far ridge. Smiling.
FADE OUT.
**Part 9**
*(Aryan 15 – Whispers from the clans reach the valley. Intelligence stirs like shadows.)*
FADE IN:
EXT. VALLEY STREAM – MIDDAY – CLEAR SKY
Aryan kneels by the rushing water, sharpening a stolen dagger on wet stone. His movements are precise, calculated – every scrape measures risk and reward.
He wants control. Absolute. No more hiding. The clans' whispers fuel him: "The cursed heir lives." He knows sending survivors back was a gambit – draw them out, learn their fears.
A faint rustle. Aryan doesn't flinch. He senses it.
ARYAN
(calm, without turning)
Come out. Or I'll make you.
From the bushes: a young scout from Kasia clan – 17, wiry, eyes sharp but scared. He steps forward, hands raised. He wants to survive, prove himself to elders who sent him to spy.
SCOUT
I'm not here to fight.
Just... watch.
Aryan stands slow. Dagger gleams.
ARYAN
Watching is fighting.
Who sent you? Gandhra? Kasia? Or my dear uncle?
Scout hesitates. He wants to lie, but Aryan's gaze – gold-flecked, unblinking – peels layers.
SCOUT (inner voice)
He knows too much. Why risk truth? Because lying dies faster.
SCOUT
Kasia elders. They say you're the anomaly.
The one who could claim the Gold... or burn it.
Aryan steps closer. Flame flickers faint in his free hand – threat, not show.
ARYAN (inner voice)
He wants validation. Give him fear instead. Turn him into a tool.
ARYAN
Tell them this: The anomaly is coming.
Not for peace. For payment.
Scout nods quick. Backs away.
SCOUT
They'll kill you first.
Aryan smiles – cold, intelligent edge.
ARYAN
They've tried.
Now run. Before I change my mind.
Scout flees. Aryan watches. Calculates next move.
CUT TO:
INT. HOUSE – EVENING
Vikrant paces. He wants redemption – protect Aryan without breaking him further.
Kavya sits, mending a cloak. She wants her son back, the boy before cruelty rooted.
Aryan enters. Drops the dagger on table.
VIKRANT
Another visitor?
ARYAN
Scout. Kasia.
Vikrant stops. Eyes narrow.
VIKRANT (inner voice)
He let him go. Why? To bait the trap. Smart... too smart.
VIKRANT
You should have ended it.
ARYAN
Dead men tell no tales. Living ones spread mine.
Kavya stands. Voice steady, but wants to shatter the cycle.
KAVYA
Aryan... this path... it consumes.
ARYAN
Better consume than be consumed, Ma.
She touches his arm. He doesn't pull away – yet.
KAVYA (inner voice)
He wants power. But deep down, does he want love? Push gently.
KAVYA
What do you really want? The Gold? Vengeance? Or us safe?
Aryan meets her eyes. Pauses – rare vulnerability flickers.
ARYAN
All of it.
And I'll take it my way.
He walks out. Leaves them in silence.
CUT TO:
EXT. RIDGE OVERLOOK – NIGHT
Ravan perches like a raven. He wants the ultimate harvest: Aryan's fall into full monster, then his throne.
He overheard the scout's report via hidden vial-spy.
RAVAN (inner voice)
The boy plays chess now. Wants to draw me out. Smart. But I want his soul twisted first.
He uncorks a new vial – whispers into it.
RAVAN
Spread the seed: The heir seeks alliance... but betrays all.
Wind carries the whisper down – planting doubt in clans.
Ravan smiles.
RAVAN
Grow, nephew. Your cruelty is my garden.
FADE OUT.
**Part 10**
*(Aryan 15 – The scout's report echoes back. Clans stir. Whispers turn to plans.)*
FADE IN:
EXT. VALLEY PATH – DAWN – MIST RISING
Aryan walks the narrow trail, dagger sheathed at belt. Eyes scan horizons – habit now. Situation demands vigilance: scouts mean exposure, mean attack soon.
He stops at a overlook. Breathes deep.
ARYAN
(to himself, low)
They'll come harder next time. Good.
Footsteps behind – heavy, familiar.
Vikrant approaches, axe over shoulder. Situation for him: protect family, teach survival without losing the boy.
VIKRANT
You let the scout go. Why?
Aryan turns. Meets his gaze even.
ARYAN
To send a message. Let them know I'm not hiding.
Vikrant nods slow. Weighs words.
VIKRANT
Message received, then. Rumors from the Gold say Kasia elders meet tonight.
ARYAN
How do you know?
VIKRANT
Old contacts. Still loyal... mostly.
Aryan crosses arms. Situation pushes him: gather intel, prepare.
ARYAN
What do they plan?
VIKRANT
Alliance against you. Or with you. Depends on fear.
Kavya calls from below – voice carries up the path.
KAVYA
Breakfast! Before it goes cold.
They start down. Vikrant pauses.
VIKRANT
Be careful, son. Alliances break easy.
ARYAN
I know.
CUT TO:
INT. HOUSE – MORNING – SIMPLE MEAL
Kavya sets bowls of stew. Situation for her: hold family together, pull Aryan from edge.
She watches them eat in silence.
KAVYA
Enough secrets. What's coming?
Vikrant glances at Aryan. Nods.
VIKRANT
Clans talking. About him.
Kavya sits. Hands steady on table.
KAVYA
Then we leave. Deeper into mountains.
ARYAN
No. We face it.
Kavya leans forward. Eyes plead.
KAVYA
Facing means blood. More blood.
ARYAN
Hiding means the same. Just slower.
Silence hangs. Vikrant breaks it.
VIKRANT
He's right. But we plan smart.
Kavya stands. Clears bowls hard.
KAVYA
Plan all you want. Just come back alive.
She exits to porch. Aryan watches her go.
CUT TO:
EXT. KASIA CAMP – NIGHT – FIRES LOW
Ravan slips in shadows near elders' tent. Situation: infiltrate, twist words to his favor.
Inside tent: three Kasia elders argue. Scout reports fresh.
ELDER 1
The boy's power – dual flame. Threat or tool?
ELDER 2
Kill him. Before Gandhra claims him.
ELDER 3
Or ally. Use him against Ravan's schemes.
Ravan smiles outside. Whispers to self.
RAVAN
Yes... choose wrong.
He drops a forged note through tent flap – "Aryan seeks your end."
Elders find it. Voices rise.
ELDER 1
Betrayal! Send assassins.
Ravan fades into dark. Satisfied.
FADE OUT.