Episode 1: "The Mark in the Woods"
Word Count: ~3000
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EXT. BLACKTHORN WOODS – NIGHT
A blood moon stains the night sky crimson. Fog curls low through the trees, and shadows shift unnaturally in the underbrush. Crickets fall silent. Something is wrong.
KAEL DONOVAN, 17, lean, broody, sharp-witted, crashes through the woods. His hoodie is ripped, his breathing ragged, and terror clings to his face like sweat.
KAEL
(under his breath)
No, no, no—keep moving...
Branches whip at his face. He glances over his shoulder. Nothing there.
But then—a low, guttural growl. Not animal. Not human.
Kael's foot catches a root. He tumbles down a slope, hits the ground hard. His hand lands in something wet—blood. He jerks away.
KAEL
(panicked)
What the hell—
He scrambles up. The fog thickens. Then, from behind a tree—a figure.
Not quite human. Not quite beast. Eyes glowing red. Its skin shifts like smoke over bone.
Kael freezes. The thing steps forward.
KAEL
(stammering)
This isn't real. I'm dreaming. I hit my head—
The creature lunges.
BLACKOUT.
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INT. KAEL'S BEDROOM – MORNING
Kael jolts awake in bed, screaming. He's drenched in sweat. He clutches his chest and rips off his shirt. On his ribs is a glowing black sigil—a mark like a branding made of ancient symbols, pulsing slightly.
KAEL
(gasping)
What the hell is that...
He stumbles to the bathroom mirror, flips on the light. His reflection flickers for a split second—he sees himself with black eyes. Then it's gone.
He stares at the mark in the mirror. Still there.
KAEL
Great. I'm either cursed or crazy.
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EXT. SHADOWBOUND HIGH – MORNING
Students flood into the aged, ivy-covered school. Statues of ravens and ancient Latin mottos give the place a gothic, almost haunted vibe.
Kael arrives, hoodie zipped tight over his chest. He moves like someone trying not to be noticed.
LANA RIVERA, 17, curly hair, sharp tongue, loyal to a fault, appears beside him, sipping iced coffee.
LANA
Whoa. You look like you got hit by a dump truck full of bad decisions.
KAEL
Didn't sleep.
LANA
Still having those creepy dreams? You seriously need therapy. Or weed. Or both.
KAEL
I think it's more than dreams.
LANA
Oh no. Are we talking sleep paralysis demon level?
Kael says nothing. She narrows her eyes.
LANA
Okay, you're officially freaking me out.
KAEL
Forget it. I'll be fine.
He walks off. Lana watches him go, unconvinced.
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INT. HISTORY CLASS – LATER
Old maps and occult symbols cover the classroom walls. MRS. MORWEN, mid-50s, wears too many rings and speaks like she knows more than any teacher should.
MRS. MORWEN
Class, today we dive into the darker side of history—the legends of the Shadowbound.
Kael looks up.
MRS. MORWEN (cont'd)
Ancient beings marked by shadow magic. Touched by something beyond our world. They were feared, hunted, and often—used as weapons.
Kael's mark begins to burn under his hoodie.
MRS. MORWEN (locking eyes with him)
They say the mark appears after an encounter in cursed places. Woods, especially.
Kael grips his desk. The mark pulses under his skin.
A voice echoes in his mind. Deep. Otherworldly.
VOICE (V.O.)
You are chosen, Kael Donovan.
Kael flinches. Mrs. Morwen continues, unbothered.
MRS. MORWEN
And once the mark appears... there's no turning back.
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INT. SCHOOL HALLWAY – LUNCH
Kael opens his locker. A black envelope sits inside. No name. He opens it. Inside is a note, written in silver ink:
"We see you. Come to the old gym. Midnight. Or the mark consumes you."
Kael stares at it, heart racing.
RHEA VALE, 17, sleek black hair, piercing gray eyes, new girl, slides up next to him.
RHEA
Don't ignore it. That's how people die.
KAEL
What are you talking about?
RHEA
You've been marked. You're not the first. But you might be the last.
She turns and walks away before he can respond.
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INT. LANA'S ROOM – NIGHT
Lana's surrounded by candles and crystals. She's video-calling TAYE, her cousin who's into occult stuff.
LANA
Have you ever heard of the Shadowbound?
TAYE (on screen)
That's deep folklore. Witchcraft stuff. Demons. Some say the marked ones get powers—others say they lose their souls.
LANA
Cool. So my best friend's either a superhero or a demon snack.
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INT. OLD GYM – MIDNIGHT
The old gym is abandoned. Dusty bleachers, broken basketball hoops, cracked floorboards. Moonlight spills through high windows.
Kael enters, tense, heart pounding.
KAEL
Okay, mystery stalker. I'm here. Now what?
A circle of lit black candles surrounds the court. He steps closer.
Grayson Thorne steps out of the shadows. 18, class president, perfect hair, way too charming—but something's off about him.
GRAYSON
I was wondering when you'd show.
KAEL
Why are you here?
GRAYSON
Because I'm like you. Marked. Only I learned how to control it.
Kael tenses.
KAEL
So what is this, a cult?
GRAYSON
More like survival school. The mark is a curse and a gift. It gives power—but also attracts things. Dark things.
Behind him, several other students emerge from the shadows. Rhea is among them.
RHEA
This is the Umbra Circle. We protect the marked. Or at least… we try.
Kael looks at them all—his world tilting on its axis.
KAEL
This is insane.
GRAYSON
Is it? Or is your definition of "normal" just outdated?
Suddenly—a scream outside the gym.
Everyone freezes.
RHEA
They found him.
KAEL
Who?
Grayson's face hardens.
GRAYSON
Someone who refused the mark.
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EXT. BACK OF THE SCHOOL – NIGHT
The group rushes outside. In the grass lies JAMIE, a sophomore, eyes wide, skin pale, throat marked by black veins.
Kael stares. This was real. All of it.
KAEL
What did that to him?
Rhea kneels beside the body, muttering a spell. The veins fade slightly.
RHEA
It's started. The Woken are coming.
KAEL
Woken?
Grayson puts a hand on Kael's shoulder.
GRAYSON
There's a war coming, Kael. And whether you like it or not, you're one of us now.
Kael stares at the body. Then down at his own mark, which now glows bright black—a contradiction that shouldn't be possible.
KAEL
I didn't ask for this.
RHEA
No one ever does.
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INT. KAEL'S BEDROOM – LATER THAT NIGHT
Kael sits on his bed, staring at the candlelit note again.
In the mirror, his reflection shimmers. For a split second, he sees another version of himself—eyes black, mouth smirking, like a darker version watching from behind the glass.
VOICE (V.O.)
The darkness is awake. And you… you belong to it now.
Kael punches the mirror. It cracks, but the reflection stays the same—smiling.