Episode 20: "Blood Runs Black"
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**EXT. FOREST – DEEP WOODS – NIGHT**
The forest is alive with twisted energy. Every branch drips with corruption. Kael leads the team cautiously, his mark pulsing faintly beneath his skin. The air tastes like ash.
**KAEL (quietly)**
Stay sharp. They're watching.
Suddenly, portals open—*four* of them. Demons pour through—snarling, red-eyed beasts with jagged armor and claws like daggers. Some drag chains behind them. Others brandish glowing cutlasses that hum with cursed energy.
**LANA**
We've got company!
**RHEA (chanting)**
*"Foren Talus!"*
A wall of light bursts between the demons and the group, buying precious seconds. Kael launches forward—his super speed kicks in as he slams into a demon, sending it into a tree. The demon bounces back almost instantly, unfazed.
**TUNDE (dodging a swipe)**
Yo, why do they look like they bench-press volcanoes?!
He grabs a boulder and hurls it at a charging demon—it smashes into its jaw. The demon stumbles but keeps coming.
**KAEL**
They're stronger than before.
Lana's spells rain down fire, Rhea summons spikes of ice from the ground. The group fights hard—but they're being pushed back.
**DEMON GENERAL (emerging from portal)**
The Chosen bleeds tonight.
He raises a clawed hand and summons a glowing black cutlass. He swings it once—*BOOM!* A shockwave knocks the team flying.
Kael crashes into a tree, groaning. His ribs crack.
**KAEL (struggling up)**
Not... today.
He charges, dodging at the last second as the general swings. Kael slashes with raw energy from his palm—wounding the general. But not enough.
Rhea is hit by a blast of cursed fire. She screams as the flames scorch her shoulder.
**LANA (rushing to her side)**
Rhea!
She casts a healing spell, barely stabilizing her. Kael is knocked back again, this time blood pouring from his mouth. The demon general approaches, laughing.
**DEMON GENERAL**
Weak. Not worthy.
Suddenly—**howls** echo through the forest.
**WEREWOLVES.** A pack of massive, feral yet intelligent beasts leap into the fray. Their alpha—**Gravon**—snarls and tackles the general.
**GRAVON (to Kael)**
You summoned us, Chosen. We answer.
Kael blinks in pain. Gravon pins him.
**KAEL**
W-What are you doing—
**GRAVON**
You want to protect them? Then become one of us.
He **bites Kael's shoulder**—a clean, hard bite. Magic pulses through Kael's veins instantly. His eyes go white for a second. He screams—then passes out.
The werewolves fight back the demons long enough for the team to retreat, carrying Kael's body.
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**INT. SAFEHOUSE – HOURS LATER**
Kael lies unconscious. His body is steaming, veins glowing faintly. Rhea sits nearby, her arm bandaged. Lana watches silently.
**TUNDE (limping, joking)**
Okay. Raise your hand if you didn't almost die today.
No one responds.
**TUNDE**
Exactly.
**RHEA**
How long do you think it takes? For the transformation?
**LANA (softly)**
The wolves said a day. But Kael's mark... it's reacting faster.
Suddenly, Kael's back arches—he screams. His **bones shift**, his **eyes flash** silver. Power explodes from his chest, sending a shockwave that cracks walls.
Tunde is thrown back.
**TUNDE (groaning)**
Okay, someone's going through puberty the hard way.
Kael's body levitates slightly as runes swirl around him. Then he crashes back down—eyes open.
**KAEL (weak, but grinning)**
Did we win?
**LANA (relieved)**
Barely.
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**INT. DEMONIC REALM – SAME TIME**
The Devourer watches Kael's transformation through a flaming mirror.
**DEVOURER**
The wolf awakens... and the mark remembers. Soon, he'll burn like the rest.
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**EXT. MOUNTAIN RIDGE – NIGHT**
Kael stands with Gravon.
**GRAVON**
You're not like us. Not fully. The mark has twisted your blood.
**KAEL**
Then what am I?
**GRAVON**
Something new. Something dangerous. Be careful, Kael... because when your full power wakes, it may not recognize your friends.