Curse of Hope

“And then the fort was built by the king to celebrate his victory.” · **[CLASSROOM — DAY]** · **[VISUAL: A large medieval classroom inside Eclipse Sanctum. Stone walls, tall arched windows, wooden desks, parchment notes, and quill pens. All students wear the same medieval-style academy attire. No modern clothing, ties, jackets, or accessories.]** · **[TEACHER: Standing at the front of the classroom, calmly explaining the history of Eclipse Sanctum.]** · **[SOUL — EXPRESSION: Emotionless, slightly bored. His ruby-red eyes wander around the room.]** · *Why are we learning about the history of this place?* · *Honestly, this is not what I expected when I heard we were going to be assassins.* · Soul drifted into his thoughts as the teacher continued explaining the history of the institution. · **[VISUAL: The teacher continues speaking in the background while Soul sits quietly at his desk, his attention gradually fading.]** · He tried to follow along, but soon lost all interest. · **[SOUL — EXPRESSION: Blank, mildly uninterested.]** · Looking around, he noticed that most of the students felt the same. · Hardly five or six students out of a hundred were paying attention and taking notes. · **[VISUAL: Wide classroom shot. Most students are distracted—some whispering, some staring blankly, while only a handful are actively writing.]** · *I wonder if the other groups are going through the same thing.* · --- · **[AFTER THE CEREMONY — STUDENTS BEING DIVIDED INTO GROUPS]** · After the ceremony ended, the students were divided according to their levels. · Only 150 students chose to continue. · Among them, 90 were between Levels 1 and 3, so they were divided into two batches of 45. · Another 40 students were between Levels 4 and 6. · **[VISUAL: A tall male student stands among the Level 4–6 group. His height makes him easy to recognize.]** · That tall guy was also in this group. · Sixteen students were at Level 7. · **[VISUAL: The sixteen Level 7 students stand together, noticeably more confident than the others.]** · It seemed that everyone had already accepted that the final four assassins would come from this Level 7 group. · Lastly, there were three Level 8 assassins and one Level 9 assassin. · **[VISUAL: Four high-level students stand separately from the others. Their presence creates a noticeable sense of superiority.]** · They were given special status and trained separately. · They did not even have to go through the final test like the others. · *I think this is good for us.* · *Anyway, they had already confirmed the title of assassin.* · **[SOUL — EXPRESSION: Slightly dissatisfied.]** · *Well, that’s unfair.* · His eyes briefly moved toward the higher-level students. · *But what’s even more unfair is… why am I at Level 1?* · **[SOUL — EXPRESSION: Quiet confusion. No exaggerated emotion.]** · *Even the teacher who assessed me had suggested that I could leave without surrendering my power.* · *Now that I think about it… I haven’t even seen what I can do with my powers.* · --- · **[CLASSROOM — CONTINUOUS]** · “Mr. Soul, may I ask what you’re thinking that is so important that you’re not paying attention in class?” · **[SFX: SNAP]** · Soul snapped out of his thoughts. · **[SOUL — EXPRESSION: Slight surprise.]** · He quickly stood up. · “N… Nothing, sir.” · “Oh?” · **[TEACHER — EXPRESSION: Slightly amused.]** · “So you *are* paying attention in my class?” · “Yes, sir.” · **[SOUL — EXPRESSION: Hesitant, avoiding eye contact.]** · Soul replied hesitantly. · “Well then, tell me the name of the king who built the Eclipse Sanctum.” · **[VISUAL: Soul freezes.]** · Soul glanced around, hoping someone would help him. · **[VISUAL: His eyes move from student to student. Everyone deliberately avoids eye contact.]** · No one was willing to meet his eyes. · He tried to recall anything he had heard earlier. · **[SOUL — EXPRESSION: Thinking hard, eyebrows slightly lowered.]** · Suddenly, a name popped into his mind. · “Mr. Marz Austin.” · **[PAUSE.]** · The entire class burst into laughter. · **[SFX: HAHAHA!]** · **[VISUAL: Several students laugh openly while others cover their mouths.]** · Soul froze. · **[SOUL — EXPRESSION: Completely blank, silently processing his mistake.]** · He was unable to come up with a proper response. · “Silence!” · **[SFX: SLAM!]** · The teacher's voice immediately silenced the classroom. · “Well, thank you for the honor—but do I look like a 2000-year-old king to you, Mr. Soul?” · **[TEACHER — EXPRESSION: Calm amusement rather than anger.]** · Soul realized his mistake. · **[SOUL — EXPRESSION: Slight embarrassment.]** · He immediately apologized. · “No, no, no… no need to be sorry,” the teacher said calmly. · **[TEACHER — EXPRESSION: Gentle smile.]** · “You actually helped me.” · He paused briefly. · “I was wondering where to begin the next topic—power levels and categories.” · **[VISUAL: The teacher turns toward the blackboard and writes: POWER LEVELS & CATEGORIES.]** · “We’ll start with you.” · **[VISUAL: Several students turn their attention toward Soul.]** · --- · **[CLASSROOM — POWER LEVEL LESSON]** · “Listen carefully, class.” · “When a person attains their powers—whether naturally or artificially—they attain a level.” · “The lowest is Level 1, and the highest is Level 12.” · **[VISUAL: A simple vertical diagram appears on the blackboard showing LEVEL 1 → LEVEL 12.]** · “Once attained, a level cannot be increased or decreased by any means.” · “The higher the level, the stronger the person.” · **[PAUSE.]** · **[VISUAL: Several students' expressions change from curiosity to disappointment.]** · Those words shattered the hopes of many students. · They had believed there was a way to increase their level. · That belief was what had kept them going. · **[STUDENTS — EXPRESSIONS: Disappointed, worried, hopeless.]** · One student nervously stood up. · “But Mr. Austin, I’ve heard that one can increase their level through certain practices…” · “No.” · **[TEACHER — EXPRESSION: Firm and serious.]** · “That is a myth.” · However, his expression softened slightly. · “There *is* a way to become stronger.” · **[VISUAL: Several students immediately look up with renewed interest.]** · “In each level, there are five grades.” · “As your grade increases, your power grows significantly.” · “A Level 1 Grade 5 assassin can even surpass a Level 5 Grade 3 assassin.” · **[VISUAL: Students exchange surprised looks.]** · “But increasing your grade is extremely difficult.” · **[PAUSE.]** · This revelation brought a ray of hope back into the students’ minds. · **[STUDENTS — EXPRESSIONS: Hopeful, curious, determined.]** · --- · “You may have noticed that some of you possess unique powers.” · “That is because there are four categories within the assassin class: Blaze Phantoms, Pulse Stalkers, and Iron Phantoms.” · **[VISUAL: The teacher writes the categories on the blackboard.]** · **[CONTINUITY NOTE: The fourth category, DLX, is introduced separately immediately afterward.]** · “The fourth category is special.” · “It is called *DLX*…” · **[VISUAL: The teacher turns toward Soul.]** · “…and that is your category, Soul.” · **[SOUL — EXPRESSION: Slight surprise. His eyes narrow slightly with curiosity.]** · “The Blaze Phantoms can withstand temperatures up to 200°C and can ignite their projectiles.” · “Pulse Stalkers possess enhanced hearing and can distort sound waves.” · “Iron Phantoms have deep knowledge of weapons like swords, spears, and bows, and can use them effectively.” · **[VISUAL: Brief illustrative manga panels appear as the teacher explains each category: fire-infused projectiles, sound-wave distortion, and weapon mastery.]** · “These are just Grade 1 abilities.” · “As your grade increases, so does your control and strength.” · “You will get new powers with higher grades.” · “Once you reach Grade 5, you might even have a chance to unlock a special power called ‘Ability’.” · “But this is extremely rare.” · “Currently, only five known people on our planet hold this power.” · “This is all you need to know for now.” · “You’ll learn more as you grow.” · --- · “Pardon me, Soul.” · **[TEACHER — EXPRESSION: Slightly amused.]** · “I thought I’d begin with you, but then I decided to save the best for last.” · “Among the 300 assassins this year, you are the only DLX.” · **[VISUAL: Several students turn toward Soul.]** · “And the fact that you are standing here means you have already cleared your first obstacle.” · **[SOUL — EXPRESSION: Quiet confusion.]** · *What does that mean?* · “A DLX at Grade 1 can run faster if he trains daily, can have good reflexes if he practices hard, and can throw needles.” · **[PAUSE.]** · **[SOUL — EXPRESSION: Blank disbelief.]** · *Isn’t my category supposed to be special?* · *These are things anyone can do…* · “You must be wondering what makes it special,” Mr. Austin continued. · **[TEACHER — EXPRESSION: Calm, slightly mysterious.]** · “The special thing is that it is the only category that can advance only up to Grade 3.” · “There are no Grades 4 or 5.” · Soul looked toward the teacher. · “Does that mean I’ll have the power of Grade 5 at Grade 3?” · **[SOUL — EXPRESSION: Genuine curiosity.]** · Mr. Austin chuckled. · “No.” · **[SFX: HEH.]** · A lot of students had been jealous when they heard that Soul was special. · But now that they knew how special he actually was, they could not stop themselves from laughing. · **[STUDENTS — EXPRESSION: Mocking amusement.]** · Mr. Austin silenced them with a stern look. · **[TEACHER — EXPRESSION: Serious.]** · “It might seem funny to you, but there is a fact.” · “In the history of Eclipse Sanctum, only one assassin below Level 6 has ever passed the final test…” · **[PAUSE.]** · “…and he was a DLX.” · **[VISUAL: The classroom suddenly becomes quiet.]** · “His name was Charon.” · **[SOUL — EXPRESSION: Eyes widen slightly.]** · Soul’s eyes widened. · “Was.” · **[FINAL PANEL: Close-up of Soul’s widened ruby-red eyes. The classroom background fades into darkness.]** · **[SFX: SILENCE]** · **[EMOTIONAL DIRECTION: The single word creates an ominous shift. The students' previous laughter disappears, replaced by uncertainty.]** · I also corrected the grammar and kept **Soul’s low-emotion personality** intact rather than making him overly expressive.