Panel 1: EXT. VERDANT EXPANSE - DAY. Wide shot of the massive, untouched jungle. Golden sunlight pierces the thick canopy, creating beams of light. Strange, colorful birds fly between the trees.

Panel 2: EXT. VERDANT EXPANSE - DAY. Close-up on a rare, bioluminescent flower glowing softly in the dim undergrowth.

Panel 3: EXT. VERDANT EXPANSE - DAY. Medium shot. KAI ARDEN, a young man with a determined look, pushes through dense foliage. He's sweaty and covered in dirt, but his eyes are bright with excitement. He carries a worn leather journal.

Panel 4: EXT. VERDANT EXPANSE - DAY. Close-up on Kai's journal. A page shows a hand-drawn map with cryptic glyphs and notes.

Panel 1: EXT. VERDANT EXPANSE - DAY. Medium shot. Kai, now standing on a cliff edge, wipes sweat from his brow. He's looking down at something with awe.

“Kai: (Whispering) It's... it's real.”

Panel 2: EXT. HIDDEN TEMPLE - DAY. Wide shot revealing the massive stone temple, almost completely overtaken by colossal vines. A beam of golden light shines through a break in the canopy, illuminating the temple entrance.

Panel 3: EXT. HIDDEN TEMPLE - DAY. Close-up on the temple entrance. Intricate carvings are visible beneath the vines.

Panel 4: EXT. HIDDEN TEMPLE - DAY. Medium shot. Kai quickly sketches the temple in his journal, capturing every detail.

Panel 1: INT. TEMPLE THRESHOLD - DAY. Close-up on Kai's boots as he steps over the threshold into the temple.

Panel 2: INT. TEMPLE THRESHOLD - DAY. Medium shot. The air inside is visibly warmer. Kai removes his jacket.

“Kai: It's... unnaturally warm in here.”

Panel 3: INT. TEMPLE THRESHOLD - DAY. Close-up on a carving of a serpent on the wall. The serpent's eyes seem to follow Kai as he moves.

Panel 4: INT. TEMPLE THRESHOLD - DAY. Wide shot. Kai descends into the first chamber. His footsteps echo loudly.

Panel 1: INT. TEMPLE CHAMBER - DAY. Medium shot. Kai examines a mural on the wall. The mural depicts glowing glyphs arranged in a circular pattern.

Panel 2: INT. TEMPLE CHAMBER - DAY. Close-up on Kai's finger touching one of the glyphs. The glyph glows brighter.

Panel 3: INT. TEMPLE CHAMBER - DAY. Wide shot. The walls TREMBLE. The vines outside begin to retract from the temple.

Panel 4: INT. TEMPLE CHAMBER - DAY. Close-up on the mural. Light erupts from the center of the glyph circle.

Panel 1: INT. TEMPLE CHAMBER - DAY. Medium shot. Kai falls backward, shielding his eyes from the light.

“Kai: What the--?!”

Panel 2: INT. TEMPLE CHAMBER - DAY. The light coalesces into the ethereal form of LIRA, a figure made of golden light.

Panel 3: INT. TEMPLE CHAMBER - DAY. Close-up on Lira's face. She has a serene but concerned expression.

“Lira: Templeborn... you have returned.”

Panel 4: INT. TEMPLE CHAMBER - DAY. Medium shot. Kai stares at Lira in disbelief.

“Kai: Templeborn? Who are you?”

Panel 1: INT. TEMPLE CHAMBER - DAY. Lira floats closer to Kai.

“Lira: Your arrival has awakened something... dangerous.”

Panel 2: EXT. DEEP JUNGLE - NIGHT. A pool of blackened vines twitches to life. The vines are sickly and withered.

Panel 3: EXT. DEEP JUNGLE - NIGHT. Close-up on one of the blackened vines. It pulses with a dark energy.

Panel 4: EXT. DEEP JUNGLE - NIGHT. Wide shot. The pool of vines continues to grow, consuming everything in its path. The air around it chills.

Panel 1: EXT. JUNGLE OVERLOOK - NIGHT. CAPTAIN THORN VALE, a grizzled mercenary leader, stands with his team, observing the temple from afar. He uses binoculars.

Panel 2: EXT. JUNGLE OVERLOOK - NIGHT. Close-up on Thorn's face. He has a cruel smirk.

“Thorn: (To himself) Finally...”

Panel 3: EXT. JUNGLE OVERLOOK - NIGHT. Medium shot. One of Thorn's mercenaries, a nervous-looking woman named RINA, glances at him with apprehension.

“Rina: Captain, are you sure about this? The legends--”

Panel 4: EXT. JUNGLE OVERLOOK - NIGHT. Thorn silences Rina with a harsh glare.

“Thorn: Legends are for fools. We're here for the power.”

Panel 1: EXT. JUNGLE OVERLOOK - NIGHT. Shot of the mercenary team. They are a motley crew, armed with various weapons.

Panel 2: EXT. JUNGLE OVERLOOK - NIGHT. Medium shot. Thorn turns back to the temple, his smirk widening.

“Thorn: Let's see what treasures this old temple holds.”

Panel 3: INT. TEMPLE CHAMBER - DAY. Close-up on Kai's face. He is still stunned by Lira's appearance.

“Kai: What does any of this mean?”

Panel 4: INT. TEMPLE CHAMBER - DAY. Wide shot. Kai stands before Lira, golden particles swirling around them. The glyph-lit walls show a mural of a great darkness with tendrils reaching toward the world.

Panel 1: INT. TEMPLE CHAMBER - DAY. Close up on the mural, focusing on the darkness and its tendrils

Panel 2: INT. TEMPLE CHAMBER - DAY. Medium shot. Lira looks at Kai with concern, golden particles flowing around her.

“Lira: Light has awakened...”

Panel 3: INT. TEMPLE CHAMBER - DAY. Close-up on Lira's face as she finishes her sentence.

“Lira: ...which means the darkness will follow.”

Panel 4: INT. TEMPLE CHAMBER - DAY. Wide shot of Kai and Lira, the mural looming behind them.

Panel 1: EXT. JUNGLE - NIGHT. Shot of Thorn and his mercenary team making their way stealthily towards the temple.

Panel 2: EXT. JUNGLE - NIGHT. Close-up on Rina's face. She is clearly uncomfortable, her hand resting on her weapon.

“Rina: Captain, I still have a bad feeling about this.”

Panel 3: EXT. JUNGLE - NIGHT. Thorn stops, turning to Rina with a menacing look.

“Thorn: Your feelings don't matter. Our reward does.”

Panel 4: EXT. JUNGLE - NIGHT. The team continues on, the temple visible in the distance.

Panel 1: INT. TEMPLE CHAMBER - DAY. Kai looks at Lira with a mix of fear and determination.

“Kai: What darkness? What's going to happen?”

Panel 2: INT. TEMPLE CHAMBER - DAY. Lira hesitates, her expression troubled.

“Lira: The Nightroot... an ancient evil. It sleeps beneath this temple, but your arrival has stirred it.”

Panel 3: INT. TEMPLE CHAMBER - DAY. Close-up on Kai's face. He is shocked by Lira's revelation.

“Kai: An evil? You mean a monster?”

Panel 4: INT. TEMPLE CHAMBER - DAY. Lira shakes her head, her golden form flickering slightly.

“Lira: It is more than a monster, Templeborn. It is a void... a darkness that consumes all light.”

Panel 1: EXT. DEEP JUNGLE - NIGHT. The pool of blackened vines continues to spread, now consuming a larger area of the jungle.

Panel 2: EXT. DEEP JUNGLE - NIGHT. Close-up on a corrupted animal – a monkey with blackened fur and glowing red eyes – screeching menacingly.

Panel 3: INT. TEMPLE CHAMBER - DAY. Kai looks back at the mural of the encroaching darkness.

“Kai: So, what do we do?”

Panel 4: INT. TEMPLE CHAMBER - DAY. Lira stares at Kai, her expression unreadable.

“Lira: I will show you... what you must do.”

Panel 1: EXT. TEMPLE ENTRANCE - NIGHT. Thorn and his team reach the temple entrance. The vines are now partially retracted.

“Thorn: Alright, move out! Secure the perimeter!”

Panel 2: EXT. TEMPLE ENTRANCE - NIGHT. Rina and other mercenaries cautiously enter the temple.

“Rina: Be careful, everyone!”

Panel 3: INT. TEMPLE CHAMBER - DAY. Lira begins to glow even brighter, her form becoming more intense.

“Lira: It is time, Templeborn.”

Panel 4: INT. TEMPLE CHAMBER - DAY. The glyphs on the wall begin to spin, the light intensifying even more.

Panel 1: INT. TEMPLE CHAMBER - DAY. Kai looks at Lira, ready to face whatever comes next.

“Kai: I'm ready.”

Panel 2: INT. TEMPLE CHAMBER - DAY. Lira reaches out and touches Kai's forehead. A surge of golden energy flows into him.

Panel 3: INT. TEMPLE CHAMBER - DAY. Close up on Kai's eyes. They glow with a golden light.

Panel 4: INT. TEMPLE CHAMBER - DAY. Wide shot. Kai stands before Lira, golden particles swirling around them, as the glyph-lit walls show a mural of a great darkness with tendrils reaching toward the world.

“Lira: Light has awakened… which means the darkness will follow.”