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Chapter 7 - Episode 7: The Price of Truth

### ** sinner **

** [scene: inside ruins - moments after Elara opens the box] **

*(Air is heavy, charged with invisible magic. Elara stands frozen, ancient box shakes in her hands. Her once colored eyes now shone with scary, unnatural light.

** Lucian: ** (Low Voice) "Elara. Talk to me."

** Elara: ** (barely whisper) "I see it ... everything. His sins. His secrets."

** Lucian: ** (clenched teeth) "What have you done?"

** Old man: ** (calmly) "accepted the truth."

** Lucian: ** (Sharp) "And what*exactly*does it mean?"

** Old Man: ** (Elaa Study) "She inherited the burden of knowledge. The memories in the box are now her."

** Elara: ** (voice distant) "I see his face ... blood on his hands. Shouts." * (She was dripping on her breath, clutching her head as if she were in pain.)* "It's ... it's too much."

** Lucian: ** (Run closer) "Elara!"

*(Lucian reaches for her, but when his hand touches her shoulder, the increase in energy fires back.

** Lucian: ** (Zařená) "Great. Now September*A*attacks me."

** Old man: ** (calmly) "It's not her.

** Lucian: ** (frozen) "Yeah? Well, it*hurts*."

*(Elara clenched his fists, trying to control the energy that through her.

** Elara: ** (painfully) "It's inside me. Curse. I feel it."

** Lucian: ** (pushes up) "Then pull it out*out*."

** Old man: ** "can't."

** Lucian: ** (glaring) "What do you mean by*can't*?"

** Old man: ** (solemnly) "Once the knowledge is absorbed, it cannot be returned. It is tied to her soul."

** Lucian: ** (clenched teeth) "And you*have you mentioned before?"

** Old man: ** (shrugs) "She decided."

** Lucian: ** (mumble) "I*hate*the guy."

*(Elara suddenly gasped, her knees with a strut.

** Lucian: ** (quietly) "Hey. Stay with me."

** Elara: ** (weak) "It's ... too much. Pain ..."

** Lucian: ** (firm) "Breathe, Elara. Focus on my voice."

*(She firmly grabs the shirt as if she grounded herself.

** Lucian: ** (softer) "That's it. You're fine."

*(Elara exhale trembling, her forehead rest for a moment on his chest before she pulled out, unstable but determined.)*

** Elara: ** (quietly) "We have to leave."

** Lucian: ** (studying it) "You can definitely walk?"

** Elara: ** (nod) "I can handle."

** Old man: ** (watching her) "The truth has changed you, baby. Be careful how you control it."

** Elara: ** (meeting with his gaze) "King… looking for something. Something worse than what he has already done."

** Lucian: ** (frozen) "worse?"

** Elara: ** (nod) "Not only hunts me. They hunt*power*. Relic hidden deep in cursed countries."

** Old man: ** (mumming) "Heart of Shadows."

** Lucian: ** (dry) "It sounds*very*sounds."

** Elara: ** (whispers) "If he finds it, it becomes unstoppable."

** Lucian: ** (crossed hands) "And let me guess - we need to stop him?"

** Elara: ** (determined) "Yes."

** Lucian: ** (sigh) "Of course we do it."

*(The old man step aside and points to the hidden east in the debris.)*

** Old man: ** "Go. But know it - the way forward is darker than you imagine."

** Lucian: ** (grinning) "Okay. I have always preferred the darkness."

*(Elara looks back on Old Man for the last time before passing through. Lucian follows, holds close to her side.)*

** [Scene: Out of ruins - Dawn breaks through the forest] **

*(The first light of dawn paints the sky in soft shades of pink and gold.

** Lucian: ** (quietly) "Are you sure you are fine?"

** Elara: ** (nod) "I have to be."

** Lucian: ** (shook his head) "That's not an answer."

** Elara: ** (weakly smiles) "It's the only one I have."

*(Lucian sighs, his hair flows.)*

** Lucian: ** "Okay, so we go to these cursed countries. Some idea where are they?"

** Elara: ** (hesitant) "There's a map. In the capital."

** Lucian: ** (lifting eyebrows) "Capital*? Like in a place that crawls with soldiers who want to kill us?"

** Elara: ** (grinning) "Yes."

** Lucian: ** (grinning) "Really*enjoy it to make our lives more difficult, right?"

** Elara: ** (Deadpan) "It's talent."

** Lucian: ** (laughs) "Okay, little witch. Let's steal the map."

*(Shares a small, fleeting smile before going to the forest, the weight of their mission is pushing them.

** [scene: Shaded figure in trees] **

*(The hooded figure persists in the distance, golden eyes shine under the fabric. They grinned on their lips as they watched Lucian and Ela disappear on the trees.)*

** Unknown character: ** (Whispering) "Let hunting start."

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