(Late night. Agilan and Vinod are asleep in Agilan's small home. The fan spins lazily, the window half-open. Moonlight cuts through the room. Agilan twists in his sleep, his face grim, sweat rolling down his brow.)
(Dream sequence: The earth is burning. Entire cities lie in ruin. Towering "molded beings" — grotesque humanoid forms — swarm streets, ripping apart everything human. Skyscrapers crumble as if eaten from the inside. The sky turns blood-red.)
(A lone figure — impossibly tall, draped in tattered divine robes — steps through the smoke. His face is obscured, just a glowing void where features should be. His voice is thunder and wind combined.)
Faceless God-like Creature (echoing):
"Your reign ends here… Flesh Monarch."
(Agilan gasps and bolts upright, his heart pounding.)
Vinod: (half-asleep, mumbling)
"Bro… what's wrong? You fighting monsters in your dreams too?"
Agilan: (breathing hard, staring at nothing)
"Something's coming, Vinod. Something… big."
(The title slams onto the screen in heavy red letters:)
THE FLESHBOUND
---
Scene 2: South Korea – The Investigation
(A sterile briefing room inside the Korean Hunter Association. Chief Seung-Ho stands at the head of the table. Monitors replay helmet-cam footage of Agilan's armored form tearing through shadowed hyenas inside the dungeon.)
Hunter Analyst:
"We enhanced the footage. His physical output exceeds A-class parameters. This isn't a registered Indian hunter… no ID, no license."
Chief Seung-Ho: (rubbing his temples)
"Pull every trace. Find out who he is."
(Later, in a hospital ward. Three injured hunters from that same raid lie restrained in beds. Their eyes are glazed white. They thrash violently, snarling like rabid animals.)
Chief Seung-Ho:
"…Why are they behaving like this? These aren't mana burns—this is something else."
(Footsteps echo. An imposing man enters: S-Rank Hunter Raiden Jang, wielding a massive, futuristic spear across his back. His armor gleams like silver and carbon fiber.)
Raiden Jang:
"It's not just corruption. It's infection."
Chief Seung-Ho:
"Infection? From mana?"
Raiden Jang:
"I've seen it before. A dungeon where mana itself mutates. But this… this is different. Two hunters infected this fast? That's not normal."
Chief Seung-Ho: (grimly)
"And you think the boy from the footage—"
Raiden Jang: (cutting in)
"—is connected. I see an aura in him I've only seen in nightmares. Black… and crimson. Dangerous. If he's tied to this virus, the entire world needs to know."
(The camera lingers on the infected hunters snarling in their restraints, then cuts away.)
---
Scene 3: India – Morning at the Tea Shop
(Agilan and Vinod sit at a small roadside tea stall, sipping chai. The street is noisy, but their corner feels private.)
Vinod: (joking)
"After last night, I bet you woke up thinking the world was ending. Don't worry. If it's zombies, I'll bash 'em with a cricket bat."
Agilan: (cracking a faint smile)
"This isn't a joke, Vinod. I saw something.'"
Vinod:
"Bro, you already sound like a villain in an anime."
(Agilan's System interface flickers open suddenly.)
> [System Alert: Recipe Parchment Detected]
[Essence of Seraphis – Cures any disease. Requires Demon King's Horn.]
[Mission Unfinished: Collect all parchment fragments to craft Essence.]
(Agilan freezes, remembering his father's illness.)
Agilan: (to himself)
"I forgot… this mission… I need that essence to save him. But… how do I even kill a Demon King?"
(As they talk, Shalini approaches. She hesitates, clearly nervous.)
Shalini: (to Vinod quietly, pulling him aside)
"I… I'm going to propose to Agilan. But not yet."
Vinod: (eyes wide)
"WHAT? Just do it now!"
Shalini: (blushing hard)
"No! He'll… he'll hate me. I chose Akash before… what if he hasn't forgiven me?"
(Agilan walks over, unaware of what they're discussing. Vinod instantly switches tone.)
Vinod: (loudly, joking)
"Bro! I was just telling Shalini you look like a sleep-deprived bear. You need a spa day!"
(All three laugh. The mood lightens — but high above, an APEX surveillance drone hovers silently, its camera focused on Agilan.)
(Cut to Korea: Chief Seung-Ho and Raiden Jang watch the feed.)
Raiden Jang:
"Look at that aura… Black. Crimson. Alive. This boy… he's no normal hunter."
(He narrows his eyes and closes the monitor.)
The End