Scene 1: The Orphanage's Secret

(Nighttime – Orphanage Courtyard in Old Brass)

The orphanage courtyard in Old Brass lay quiet under a red moon, dust swirling lazy over cracked mud bricks. Miss Wolo paced before Kente, Zuri, and Aanya, her staff casting long shadows on the walls. The air felt heavy, buzzing with tension.

Miss Wolo spoke low, her voice steady. "The stone you saw, Kente—it's called the Ashral. It's old, corrupted. Kaelon didn't just take it… he fed it."

Zuri crossed his arms, red eyes narrowing. "Fed it what? Rocks or something?"

Aanya traced a rune in the dirt with her finger, her silver eyes focused. "Pain," she said softly. "The Ashral gets stronger by eating suffering. Miss Wolo, where's it now?"

Miss Wolo's face turned grim. "Buried. Somewhere it can grow unnoticed."

Kente's third eye—a blue and white bead on his forehead—flickered, glowing faint. "The Ashen Hollows," he mumbled. "I've seen it there, in flashes."

Scene 2: Into the Wastes

(Dawn – The Trio Treks into the Ashen Hollows)

The Ashen Hollows stretched wide, gray dust devils spinning like ghosts over broken stones. Zuri kicked a skull half-buried in the sand, grumbling. "Why's it always sand? Couldn't Kaelon hide his creepy rock in a nice forest?"

Aanya adjusted her crescent pendant, its blue-green glow steady. "It's not just sand," she said, voice quiet. "The Hollows is a graveyard. Tribes fought here for years. Their juju still lingers."

Kente stopped, ears sharp. "Shh. You hear that?"

A faint, rhythmic thud pulsed under their feet.

Inside Kente's head, Joor's voice burst loud. "Oho! The stone's heartbeat! Let's dig it up and smash it!"

Nri's voice cut in, cold. "No, fool. Touching it blind could wake the Rift."

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Kente shook his head, annoyed. "Both of you, chill," he muttered, voice low.

Scene 3: The Stone's Cry

(The Trio Discovers the Ashral)

Under a skeletal hand, they found the Ashral—black and crimson, pulsing with veins of light snaking into the earth.

Zuri reached out, hand trembling. "It's… warm. Like it's alive."

Kente yanked his arm back, voice sharp. "Don't! It's hungry."

Aanya chanted, runes flaring on her palms. "The ground here… it's bleeding. Kaelon's using the Hollows' pain to feed it."

The stone shrieked—a sound like grinding bones. The trio stumbled back as spectral warriors rose from the dust, red eyes glowing.

Zuri's fists ignited orange. "Oh come on, seriously?!" he snapped.

Scene 4: Kaelon's Gambit

(Kaelon Emerges from the Dust)

Kaelon stepped out, cloaked in shadows, the Ashral's light reflecting in his cold eyes.

"You found it, orphanage rats," he mocked, voice hard. "But this isn't a game."

Kente stepped forward, third eye blazing. "You're poisoning Old Brass! Why?"

Kaelon smirked. "Poison? No. I'm growing it. The Ashral thrives on this land's pain. When the Rift wakes…"

Aanya cut in, voice steady. "…You'll control it. You're harvesting pain to become a god."

Kaelon laughed, sharp and cruel. "Smart girl. But you're too late. Its roots are deep."

He slammed his palm on the ground. The earth split, spectral warriors lunging.

Scene 5: Clash of Echoes

(Battle Against the Stone's Thralls)

Zuri burned a warrior, its ashes dissolving into the Ashral's veins.

"Keep coming!" he panted. "How do we stop this?"

Kente deflected a spectral blade, voice urgent. "The stone's tied to the land! Break the link!"

Aanya scribed runes mid-fight, pendant glowing. "I need time! Distract him!"

Kaelon watched, arms crossed, as they struggled. "You fight for a dying world," he said. "The Rift will cleanse it."

Scene 6: Aanya's Gambit

(Aanya Completes the Rune Circle)

Aanya's pendant flared blue-green, runes erupting light. The ground shook, cracks glowing gold.

"The land remembers more than pain," she said, voice echoing. "It remembers hope."

The warriors froze, red eyes turning gold. They bowed—to Aanya, to the trio—then dissolved into dust.

Kaelon snarled. "Fools! The Rift doesn't care for hope!"

He retreated into a dust storm, the Ashral's pulse fading.

Scene 7: The Cost

(The Trio Recovers, Exhausted)

Zuri collapsed on a rock, breathing hard. "We won… right?"

Kente stared at the cracks, voice low. "Bought time. The stone's still out there."

Aanya knelt, touching the soil. "But the land fought with us. That's something."

Miss Wolo appeared, face unreadable. "You've seen the truth. The Ashral mirrors what's fed to it. Kaelon fed it rage. You must feed it something stronger."

Kente gripped his pendant, voice soft. "Like what?"

Miss Wolo walked away. "That's for you to learn."

Dust settled, but the Ashen Hollows hummed with quiet songs. Kaelon's laughter echoed faintly. Somewhere, the Watchmen sharpened their blades, new shadows stirring in Old Brass.