[POV: Elian Verma]
The documents sat on Miraal Khanna's glass desk like a duel challenge.
Elian kept his hands folded, his posture straight. He knew better than to crowd a producer when they were flipping through financials. Her fingers moved briskly across the screen, pausing here and there — cross-referencing figures, tracing breakdowns, and testing the logic behind his estimated cost of set lighting and post-processing.
"You planned this pitch like a seasoned assistant producer," she said, without looking up.
"I wasn't one," Elian replied evenly. "But I learned how they think."
She stopped flipping. "That's either a rehearsed line or you're unusually observant."
"I don't rehearse," Elian said, "just prepare."
That earned the faintest twitch at the corner of her mouth — not a smile, but something just short of a challenge acknowledged.
Miraal closed the document and leaned back in her chair.
"The script is good," she said bluntly. "Strong concept, focused execution. Arya would elevate it. But if she doesn't sign, I won't waste a rupee. No compromise casting. Understood?"
"Understood," Elian nodded.
She stood, walking over to the wall, where moodboards and posters from her past projects hung. Most were indie sleepers — minimal budgets, rich tension, the kind of work that streamed strong and reviewed better.
"I can give you a Tier-2 microfund with backend incentives," she said. "No salary for you, profit points instead. If Arya comes onboard, we lock financing. You handle script finalization and creative direction, I handle logistics, contacts, and platform placement."
Elian considered it. It wasn't generous — but it was fair. More than fair, for someone without credits in this world.
"And if Arya signs but we face platform resistance?"
Miraal turned, sharp eyes studying him.
"Then we make something too damn good to ignore."
Elian smiled. "Deal."
They shook hands.
[ System Notification:
✅ Mission Complete: Secure Producer Backing
🎁 Reward: SceneForge Unlock – Directorial Simulation Interface (Beta)
🧩 New Mission: Convince Arya Rane to sign. Deadline: 5 Days
Reward: Narrative Pull Enhancement + Casting Insight Lv.2 ]
---
[POV: Elian Verma – Later That Evening]
Back in the apartment, Elian sat cross-legged on the floor, surrounded by notes and a glowing system panel that hovered in front of him like a floating screen.
SceneForge Beta was impressive.
It allowed real-time simulation of scene mood, performance ranges, shot composition, and pacing flow — all rendered using the projected actors. Not just visuals, but emotion maps and resonance predictions.
He loaded City of Smoke's opening scene — a rain-drenched alley, the protagonist kneeling beside a blood trail, murmuring the line:
"I never forget a scream. That's the curse."
The system offered three camera angles, mood variants, and pacing edits.
[ Performance Match (Arya Rane profile): 91%
Scene Impact: Medium–High
Suggested Adjustment: Add a 1.5-second delay before final line delivery. Increases tension by 12%. ]
Elian revised the scene.
Watched it again.
The effect was subtle — but visceral.
He didn't need CGI explosions or action montages. He needed weight. Moments that settled into the viewer like fog. This interface would let him test and refine every one.
And when Arya came on board, he could build a demo reel sharp enough to slice through every gatekeeper.
---
[POV: Arya Rane ]
Arya stared at the message on her device.
From: Elian Verma
Subject: "Not a Director's Note — A Vision"
Attached was a single-scene simulation. No preamble. No flattery.
Just the alley scene. A mirror. A scream. A delay.
And then the voice — hers, or at least, what her voice could be — delivering that single haunted line.
She watched it twice.
Then once more.
---
[POV: Elian Verma]
At midnight, Elian received the reply.
{ Arya Rane:
Let's meet. Tomorrow. One condition — no handlers, no producer present. Just you. }
Elian exhaled.
That was a good sign. If she was making the meeting personal, then she wasn't dismissing him.
And if she wasn't dismissing him… she was curious.
He replied simply:
{ Name the place and time. }
Then he leaned back against the wall.
The script was ready.
The vision was aligned.
Now he had to prove, in one conversation, that he wasn't another amateur with an expensive tool — but a storyteller who knew what to do with a performance like hers.