### **COLD OPEN: BLACK SCREEN. SOUNDS OF A STORM.** 

The **roar of the wind** howls like a wounded beast. **Distant thunder rumbles**, rolling across the sky like the footsteps of forgotten gods. **A single breath—ragged, desperate.** 

**FADE IN:** 

#### **EXT. THE WASTELAND – NIGHT** 

A **vast, barren expanse.** The land stretches **endless and broken,** cracked earth forming jagged patterns like the veins of a dying world. No trees. No life. 

Above, the **sky churns in unnatural colors**—deep **red and swirling purple**, like an open wound festering in the heavens. The air itself **seems heavy**, thick with the weight of something unseen. 

The **storm is not made of rain—but of ash.** Blackened embers drift through the wind like ghosts of a past fire. 

Amidst this **desolation**, something **moves beneath the dirt.** 

A hand. 

**BURSTING** through the cracked ground, fingers clawing at the air. 

A **MAN** rises, gasping, coughing up dust. He **rolls onto his back, staring at the sky—confused, broken.** 

His **face is bloodied, smeared with dirt. His dark hair is matted with sweat.** 

**His body trembles.** He grips his chest, **his breathing sharp, erratic.** His ribs move like they were never supposed to. 

His clothes are in tatters—what's left of a long black coat, now nothing more than rags hanging from his battered frame. 

He forces himself to sit up. 

And then—he sees it. 

#### **THE MESSAGE** 

Carved into a massive slab of stone **right beside him**: 

### **"YOU WERE NEVER MEANT TO EXIST."** 

The words look **old, ancient.** But fresh **blood drips from the letters.** 

His breath **shudders.** Something inside him—**a distant, cold terror—claws at his mind.** 

And then he feels it. 

His **left arm burns.** 

Slowly, shakily, he pulls back the sleeve. 

His **own skin is branded with the same words.** The flesh is burned, scarred over as if the sentence has been there for **years.** 

**His hands begin to tremble.** 

**WHAT AM I?** 

His mind is **a void.** No memories. No name. Only the raw, searing pain in his body. 

And then—**a sound.** 

A distant **rumbling.** 

He looks up—toward the horizon. 

#### **THE RUINS** 

Far ahead, past the cracked wasteland, stand the **remains of a once-great city.** 

Towering structures **lean against each other like dying giants.** Stone bridges are **shattered**, massive **statues broken and defaced.** 

The city **is long dead.** But something about it **pulls at him.** 

A **whisper** in his mind. A ghost of a memory he **doesn't recognize.** 

But before he can move— 

A **low, mechanical hum fills the air.** 

He **turns sharply.** 

#### **SILHOUETTES IN THE DISTANCE** 

On the far horizon, a **line of figures appears.** 

**Black-cloaked warriors.** Their capes flow in the wind like shadows given form. 

They ride **on machines that resemble skeletal horses,** metal legs moving with unnatural fluidity. 

At their head, a lone figure **removes their mask.** 

A **woman. Pale skin. Eyes as cold and hollow as the world around her.** 

Her name is **Veyna. The Shadow Saint.** 

One of the warriors leans toward her. **His voice is a whisper in the wind, almost lost to the storm.** 

**WARRIOR** 

*"We found him. The anomaly exists."* 

Veyna doesn't react. 

She already knew. 

She wasn't hunting a man. 

She was hunting **a mistake.** 

---

#### **EXT. THE RUINS – NIGHT** 

The Nameless One moves through the **crumbling skeleton of the city.** 

Broken towers lean at dangerous angles, their foundations swallowed by time. **Statues of forgotten rulers lie shattered, their faces lost in the dust.** Every step he takes **echoes through the silence,** his breath ragged from exhaustion. 

He doesn't know why he's here. 

But something in his **bones** tells him **he belongs.** 

---

#### **FLASHES OF A LIFE HE DOESN'T REMEMBER** 

Suddenly—**a vision strikes.** 

- **Flames devour the city** around him. 

- **Screams.** Echoing through stone corridors. 

- **A woman's voice, crying out a name.** *His name?* 

- A throne—**not made of gold, but of bone.** 

- And a whisper—one that **crawls into his mind like a parasite.** 

**WHISPER (V.O.)** 

*"You are not real."* 

The Nameless One **gasps, clutching his skull.** 

The visions **fade**—but the **pain lingers.** His hands are shaking. His body feels **wrong.** 

Like it doesn't belong to him. 

---

#### **EXT. A CRACKED FOUNTAIN – RUINS** 

He stumbles forward, **falling to his knees** before a **long-dry fountain.** 

A pool of **collected rainwater** sits in the basin, reflecting the city's broken remains. 

He leans forward. **For the first time, he sees his own face.** 

And then—**his reflection flickers.** 

Just for a second. 

Like it **wasn't really him.** 

Like the face **was trying to change.** 

His breath catches. He jerks away, heart pounding. 

"What the hell am I?" 

A distant **creaking** interrupts his thoughts. 

He **whirls around.** 

---

#### **EXT. MERCHANT CARAVAN – APPROACHING** 

A group of **travelers** makes its way through the ruins. 

A caravan of **old wooden wagons** pulled by strange, **four-legged beasts** covered in plated armor. The creatures **snort, their breath steaming in the cold night air.** 

The leader of the caravan is **Gideon**—a **towering man with a thick beard, scars lining his face like a map of old battles.** 

He spots the Nameless One, **raises an eyebrow.** 

---

#### **EXT. CAMPSITE – LATER** 

A **fire burns.** The caravan has stopped for the night. 

The Nameless One sits near the flames, **his body still trembling.** He barely touches the **bowl of food** placed in front of him. 

Gideon crouches nearby, sharpening a knife. 

**GIDEON** 

*"You look like shit, friend."* 

The Nameless One doesn't respond. 

**GIDEON** 

*"You got a name?"* 

Silence. 

Gideon watches him, then lets out a slow sigh. 

**GIDEON** 

*"No memory, huh? Ah. A ghost then."* 

He gestures to his men. 

**GIDEON** 

*"Happens to the lost souls here. This land doesn't let the dead rest easy."* 

The Nameless One watches the fire, expression unreadable. 

Then, **softly**— 

**NAMELESS ONE** 

*"I saw something… in the water."* 

Gideon raises an eyebrow. 

**NAMELESS ONE** 

*"My reflection… it wasn't mine."* 

A pause. 

Gideon studies him carefully. Then—he smirks. 

**GIDEON** 

*"Then maybe it's time you became someone new."* 

For the first time, the Nameless One feels something **strange.** 

**Choice.** 

He's never had it before. 

Maybe he does now

#### **EXT. MERCHANT CAMP – NIGHT** 

The campfire **flickers weakly.** A half-empty bottle rolls across the dirt. The merchants are **deep in laughter, drinking, sharing stories.** 

The **Nameless One** sits at the edge of the firelight, apart from the others. His fingers trace the **burned words on his arm.** 

*"YOU WERE NEVER MEANT TO EXIST."* 

His mind is a battlefield of flickering images: 

- **A city in flames.** 

- **A woman's face, blurred by memory.** 

- **A throne of bone and gold.** 

- **A whisper: "You are not real."** 

He exhales sharply, shaking his head. 

Across from him, **Gideon watches.** The burly merchant leader swigs from his flask, then shoves it toward the Nameless One. 

**GIDEON** 

*"Drink. Clears the head."* 

The Nameless One hesitates, then takes a sip. **The burn is immediate.** He coughs, and Gideon laughs. 

**GIDEON** 

*"See? You're alive enough to choke on bad liquor."* 

The Nameless One stares into the fire. 

**NAMELESS ONE** 

*"I don't know if I'm alive."* 

Gideon's grin fades. He leans in, voice lowering. 

**GIDEON** 

*"Then you better figure it out before the world does."* 

Then—**everything changes.** 

The **firelight dims.** The wind **stops.** The **laughter dies.** 

**Silence.** 

A **presence** settles over the camp. 

The Nameless One **feels it.** A wrongness in the air, a creeping cold slipping into his bones. 

He looks up—**the shadows around the ruins are moving.** 

Then—**a voice.** 

**VEYNA (O.S.)** 

*"You don't belong here."* 

---

#### **EXT. CAMP PERIMETER – THE ATTACK** 

From the darkness, **figures emerge.** 

Assassins—**cloaked in black, moving like living shadows.** Their blades **catch the moonlight.** 

At the center of them all: 

**VEYNA, THE SHADOW SAINT.** 

Her pale face is **calm, emotionless.** Her eyes—**cold as winter steel.** 

The Nameless One slowly **stands.** 

Gideon **draws his sword.** 

**GIDEON** 

*"Who the hell are you supposed to be?"* 

Veyna doesn't answer. 

She **steps forward—then vanishes.** 

A blur of motion— 

Then—**blood sprays across the fire.** 

Gideon's **throat is cut open.** 

He **falls without a sound.** The fire roars higher. 

**Screams explode through the camp.** 

The assassins **descend.** 

---

#### **EXT. MERCHANT CAMP – THE FIRST MOVEMENT** 

A blade **swings toward the Nameless One's neck.** 

**His body moves before he thinks.** 

- **He ducks—** the assassin's sword **whistles past his head.** 

- **Spins away—** grabbing a broken spear from the ground. 

- **Blocks an incoming strike—** sparks fly as steel clashes. 

The world **slows.** 

The Nameless One's movements are **unnatural—too precise, too efficient.** 

The assassin **lunges again—** 

- **He parries the blade aside.** 

- **Twists the assassin's wrist.** 

- **Disarms them with a brutal snap.** 

A second attacker **charges.** 

**The Nameless One reacts instantly.** 

- **He sidesteps.** 

- **Grabs the assassin's shoulder.** 

- **Drives his knee into their gut.** 

- **Elbows them in the temple—knocking them out cold.** 

A third assassin comes from behind. 

The Nameless One **feels the attack before it comes.** 

- **He pivots.** 

- **Catches the assassin's arm mid-strike.** 

- **Tears the blade from their grip.** 

- **And buries it into their chest.** 

The assassin **chokes on blood.** 

**Falls.** 

The Nameless One **stares at the dying man.** His breath ragged. Hands trembling. 

**How did he do that?** 

He doesn't know. 

But his body **remembers.** 

---

#### **EXT. CAMP – THE DUEL BEGINS** 

The fire **burns high.** Bodies litter the sand. 

Veyna steps forward, **calm, untouched by the chaos.** 

She **draws her sword.** 

**VEYNA** 

*"Show me what you are."* 

She **strikes.** 

The Nameless One **barely reacts in time.** 

- **He blocks—** but the impact **shakes his bones.** 

- **Veyna is fast. Too fast.** 

- **She attacks again—** a flurry of precise, lightning-fast strikes. 

He dodges. **Barely.** 

- **A slash toward his ribs—he twists away.** 

- **A stab toward his throat—he leans back.** 

She's **toying with him.** 

The Nameless One **counterattacks.** 

- **He swings—** she dodges. 

- **He lunges—** she sidesteps. 

- **She parries his strike—** and kicks him square in the chest. 

He **flies backward.** 

Crashes into the dirt. 

Veyna **approaches slowly.** 

**VEYNA** 

*"Not yet. You're not ready."* 

She **lowers her sword.** 

**VEYNA** 

*"Run."* 

The Nameless One **doesn't hesitate.** 

He turns and **sprints into the ruins.** 

Veyna watches him go. Her expression unreadable. 

One of her assassins steps forward. 

**ASSASSIN** 

*"Should we pursue?"* 

Veyna smirks. 

**VEYNA** 

*"No. Let him run."* 

She turns away as **the fire consumes the camp behind her.** 

**VEYNA (WHISPERING):** 

*"He always does."*