Hidden Emperors

SEASON 1, EPISODE ONE

EXT. GARDEN - DAY

Running. A smudge moves across the scene, over the hill, across the crushed dandelions and lilacs. His feet slide against the wet grass. Then, he trips. The wind howls. A mark that his fate is closing on him. In pure adrenaline, the OFFICER picks himself up. He runs for a breath, only understanding that he'll never catch it. So, his chest rumbles as he rolls down the hill and slams through the door. As a final warning, lightning crackles in the air. The pair of shoes stop in front of the door. Mud slaps against the bottom.

INT. DARK ROOM - NIGHT

Three men gather around a sole lamp. Robed in all black, they fade into the night sky as darkness seeps further into the room. Black cardboard is taped over the window. The room is sick with loneliness. One table and three chairs - no, thrones would be better. The men sit around the lone lamp. Hot wax drips from the thin candle and flourishes into a pool. Surrounding, we can see small pieces of papers, an envelope, and a dried up pen. One of the men picks up an letter dated to November. The rest is a blur. He brings it to eye level, but never reads it. DEITY OF THE UNDERWORLD, SAINT ATLAS ATLAS' pencil-gray eyes reflect over the paper and his lashes rest slightly above the closing point. The eyes of the other deities are similar: brown and black, born from stationeries, smudged by the human hand, and given life by a selfish purpose. The deities stare at one another, waiting for each other to make the next move and motion the meeting to an end. There is no compassion, conflict, or hate. In their eyes, they only respect each other. If one could die tomorrow, then another would take his place, repeating the cycle. Titles only hold respect.

INT. HALLWAY - DAY

FOOTSTEPS! The officer runs through the silent wind. He runs his hands against the cold wall to feel his direction. The skin of his lips begins to crust like tectonic plates. Sharp breaths of air, the only ones left, escape his mouth. It's cut short by an echo. He turns around to see a shadow growing larger-- IT'S GONE?

INT. DARK ROOM - DAY

With our deities, the situation is calmer. If music were to play, the haunting synths of the outside world would be drowned by the melody of the violin. --WHAM! The door slams open, revealing the officer. The deities turn to him in fury. Atlas raises his fist, trying to give him the motion to speak, but the officer rambles regard--

The officer is suddenly set upon fire. An ethereal blue from the corners of heaven, divine and pure, holy and healing, bathing him in an ocean of heat. The outlines of his fragile body can be seen melting away. He begs to speak, but his vocal cords have given up on him. He's left to wallow in silence for eternity. The body drops revealing… A dragon. An orange mask covering his entire face, made up of sharp crystals painted by Picasso which collect together to form a flat-faced dragon. A gaping mouth. Sharp teeth that reveal a hungry mouth. Behind them, a sheet of orange forcing hunger. Horns spread off the mask as it stares down the towering Titans. THE DRAGON REAPER. Three words that evoked fear. Three words that turned men into cowards. Three words that meant “You are dead.” The deities attempt to remain unfazed, but their slight shuffling toward the back of the room tells the Reaper all he needs to know.

We gaze into the shining ice inside the holes of the dragon mask. It clenches with disgust.

The Dragon drops his steaming palms as an indication of peace.

Atlas stands up at the edge of his seat, rocking the wooden table out of existence. He storms up to the masked man.

The Reaper gives the statues a moment to consider. They converse through their gazes, speak in silence, and then turn to the Reaper.

The silence feels loud. Atlas is the guardian that held up the heavens. Yet at this moment, even if the world was flipped upside down, Caedes could make hell look like paradise and Atlas would crumble. With no exchange of words or thoughts or gazes, Atlas speaks with an answer that they all thought in unison.

FADE TO BLACK:

3 MONTHS AGO

INT. STORE - DAY

CALIBURN ASI, his black eye scanning the monitor, hands on his waist. His eyes squint while reading the text and he shakes his head. He tugs the sleeve of his vintage FERRARI JACKET except, under a closer look of the logo, something is off. The horse angled flatter and its hooves are in different positions. Everything is off in the supermarket- KICK-OF-COLA, THIN-WHEATIES, QUAKIE OATS. Cal walks over to RICHARD QUINN filling up the shopping cart. He taps his shoulder, his eyes still parted at the screen.

Richard looks at the cart.

Cal slides the black sleeves to reveal a silver watch. It ticks.

Richard exhales and adjusts the collar of his shirt, pulling it down and scratching his neck. He pulls the collar back up and thinks. He looks at Cal with contemplating eyes.

Cal points to the assortment of random stuff in the cart. His eyes sharpen.

EXT. STREETS - DAY

A tight crowd everywhere- people chattering about celebrity gossip, lines piled outside social events, and couples on every corner. Richard crosses the crammed crosswalk of Arula's streets. He reaches the front of a local restaurant. It's walls are tanned and the roof forest green. It's Asian inspired text reads: *_.

INT. MEGUMI'S - DAY

Richard pushes the handle. A soothing bell jingles alerting a woman inside, HARLEY TIANA. She is short and fair, with short black hair that shows signs of growth. She comes out the back doors and meets Richard at the counter. Richard looks around the room- a force of habit- before realizing no one else is there. Harley flashes a welcoming smile.

Richard shakes his head as he slides the money across the counter.

Harley buries the cash into the register. She sarcastically smiles.

No response. The receipt slowly prints.

Harley shoots him a look. She reaches under the table and pulls open a drawer filled with coins, coupons, and receipts. She pulls a crusty green and blue pamphlet from the bottom of the pile. Richard reads it. A brochure of the restaurant. He looks up at Harley hanging it over his head.

Harley pushes further. Richard grabs the flyer out her hand. He reads past the first line, skips a few pages, and turns to the back where the words “HIRING NOW” truck him in the eyes. They fill up with optimism. He looks up at Harley with a question and finds a strong confirmation in her face.

She drops the plastic bag with the stapled order receipt on the counter. Richard looks from Harley to brochure, brochure to food, and food to Harley. He grabs his bag and leaves with a smile.

EXT. STREETS - DAY

RED... RED... GREEN. Richard crosses the light. He stays sharp and nimble, however, his foot is flat, landing on his heels first every time. His speed is sporadic. The streets clear out. People head to their jobs. Students to their schools. A small crowd gathers around a towering skyscraper, a sizable screen on the wall. It catches Richard's entrance. He stops a distance away.

Richard reaches for his phone.

EXT. BUS STOP - DAY

Cal fixes his hair with careful fingers. It's unstyled and growing even more. He plays a single strand that fell out, thinning it out, twisting around his fingerprints. His hands grabs the phone on his stomach, but he stops himself opening. He clenches his first.

YUKON laughs. He opens his phone and begins typing with a devious smiles. Suddenly, Cal's phone explodes with notifications, vibrating on his chest. He bites his lip and closes his eyes. Glowing eyes stare at him. Yukon lifts up his pitch-black sunglasses to hide them. But the smile remains.

Yukon smirks. RING!!!! Cal looks at Yukon- dirty eyes. Yukon flashes him his phone screen. Silent, empty. Cal lifts open his phone, stands ups.

EXT. STREETS - DAY

Richard exits into a alleyway, staying on the fine line between light and dark.

EXT. BUS STOP - DAY

The students begin piling into the bus. Cal stands at the back of the line.

EXT. STREETS - DAY

Richard stands blank. He taps his foot, cracks his fingers, and shakes his head. He looks at the industrial dumpster- a sharp mask reflected on the green surface stares back at him.

EXT. BUS STOP - DAY

Cal nods his head.

He enters the bus.

EXT. STREETS - DAY

Richard fully enters the alleyway. He throws his lunch and backpack behind the dumpster. He takes off his blue hoodie and stuffs it inside his backpack. Reaching in, he pulls out a black windbreaker, which he quickly puts on, but also... A ORANGE MASK, it's sharp, hollow eyes peering.

EXT. QUIRREM DEVELOPMENTS - DAY

FIRE EVERYWHERE. Blaring police sirens. ASHER CROXY parks his car besides the pile. He kicks the door open.

A figures drop on the lamp post. The wind cuts where he lands. Asher recognizes the silhouette and his attention shifts.

The flame cries out. It spreads out the broken windows and open doors. The building, once pristine white, left to rot in the grasps of dark red and bright orange. It becomes homogeneous with the Reaper's mask. THOSE EYES... On the outside, cold, mute, a predator. Sharp and peering. Inside, a soft, shaking pupil- the color the breath of the ocean. The flames burn. The Reaper turns to Asher.

Asher turns back to the post... Empty. He shrugs.

INT. QUIRREM DEVELOPMENTS - DAY

The Reaper leaps into the fire. Smoke enters his lungs, but he's used to it. He doesn't even cough. He looks around the wreckage. The foundation is slowly collapsing and the fumes are rising. The Reaper inches towards- WHAT? He sprints to the other side, sliding under the falling door frame. He breathes heavily. He inches downstairs where he finds a open door, hanging loosely, burning a flame. The sign reads: Electrical. The Reaper squeezes through into the room. He finds broken wires, sparks of electricity, and dust. But also- WHAM! The Reaper is sent flying at many miles per hour at a solid wall. His back snaps back, and he squints his eyes to focus on a large figure running towards him, first first. He sweeps under and the fist rams through the wall. The figure, foreign looking, pulled his wrist out and spit.

The Reaper groans.

The culprit charges forward. The Reaper swipes right, and sweeps him under his feet, followed by a strong kick to the face. The larger man grasps his forehead with his massive hands, and with the little strength left, goes for a punch which is swiftly caught by Richard. A bright blue flame runs down both their hands, but only one feels the pain. The culprit screams.

EXT. QUIRREM DEVELOPMENTS - DAY

Asher wipes the dust off his clothing.

Asher's partner in crime points behind him. Asher slowly turns around... The Dragon Reaper, possibly smiling behind the mask, rolls the body of the culprit on the ground. The broken body groans and tumbles.

The Reaper marches towards the burning building.

Despite the mask, we can feel the smile under the orange plate. The Reaper climbs up to the second floor window.

The Reaper clasps his palms together to make a tight hole and a sharp wave of water flows out. It scatters away from the fire, but the pressure causes the smoke from inside to rush to the outside. The fire fades in an instant, and he pads the steaming rooms with a splash of water. He dusts himself off and walks back to the lamppost.

The Reaper prepares to launch.

The Reaper leaps into the bright sky and soon disappears from sight. Asher watches, disappointed, as the police force stuffs the body into the car.

INT. SCHOOL. HALLWAY - DAY

Panicked, Richard runs through the hallway. With his backpack still strapped, he reaches for the door. RING! Richard flinches as a slim figure walks past the door. Her hair is extended down to her waist and her lips bright and fruity. Her name- KANA ASI.