[INT. TOKYO CLASSROOM – DAY]
Ticking clock. The dull murmur of students. Rain lightly taps the windows. A low hum of ambient sound. Aki, a quiet boy with shaggy hair, stares at his notebook, sketching silently.
CLOSE-UP: A strange armored figure with wings and an ink-like sword.
TEACHER
(off-screen, stern)
Tanaka-san. You're drawing again.
AKI
(snaps out of it, murmuring)
Sorry…
The bell rings. Students shuffle out. Aki lingers, packing up slowly.
---
[EXT. STREETS OF TOKYO – EVENING]
Aki walks alone, hood up, earbuds in. Lo-fi beats play faintly. Rain begins to fall harder. Neon reflections ripple in puddles. He quietly sighs and adjusts his bag.
---
[INT. SMALL APARTMENT – NIGHT]
He enters. Empty. Dim lights. Shoes off.
AKI
Mom's working late again...
He notices a box on the floor. No label. No return address.
AKI
Huh? I didn't order anything.
He crouches, hesitates, then opens it. Inside: a sleek black VR headset, glowing faintly blue.
AKI
(nervous chuckle)
Free headset. Totally not cursed.
He picks it up. The glow intensifies. Suddenly—
FLASH—
---
[INT. UNKNOWN VR REALM – TIMELESS]
Darkness. Then a sudden bloom of light. Aki finds himself standing on a floating platform surrounded by an impossible sky. Red moon overhead. Glowing orbs drift like fireflies. Floating islands spin slowly in the void.
AKI
(looking around, heartbeat audible)
What… is this?
A faint female voice echoes from the sky.
VOICE (V.O.)
Welcome, Seeker. Memory is the price of entry. Do you accept?
AKI
(panic rising)
Wh-who's there?! This is some kind of game, right? Just a demo?!
A massive dragon-like beast bursts through the clouds—obsidian scales, glowing veins of red. It roars, shaking the sky. Aki falls to his knees, trembling.
A HUD flickers into view in front of him:
> [WEAPON CLASS: SKETCHBLADE UNLOCKED]
A sword materializes in his hand—half ink, half light—shimmering, unstable.
AKI
(eyes wide)
This… this came from my drawing!
The dragon dives. Aki lets out a scream and swings instinctively—
BOOM—
FLASH TO WHITE.
---
[INT. CLASSROOM – NEXT MORNING]
Aki jolts awake at his desk. Breathing hard. Sweat beads on his forehead. Classmates glance over.
YUMI
(whispering)
Tanaka… you okay? You look like you saw a ghost.
AKI
(dazed, quietly)
No. Not a ghost. A dragon.
He opens his notebook. A chill runs through him. The exact dragon he fought is now inked perfectly on the page—down to every detail, every scar. He didn't draw this.
AKI
(thinking)
What the hell is happening to me?
His fingers shake. The bell rings, but he doesn't move.
Rain pours outside the school. Aki sits alone on the rooftop, hoodie up, staring at the dragon sketch in his notebook. His hands shake slightly.
Aki (thinking):
"It wasn't a dream… That place felt too real."
---
Classroom. Yumi walks up during lunch, holding two drinks.
Yumi:
"Hey. You okay today? You look… worse."
Aki:
"I barely slept."
He forces a smile.
"Thanks."
Yumi glances at the open notebook. The dragon sketch stares back at her.
Yumi:
"…That's amazing. Did you draw this last night?"
Aki:
"Apparently."
---
Later, Aki sits in his room. The headset lies on the desk, humming faintly. He hesitates, then puts it on.
Flash. He's back in the Yūgen Realm—standing in a temple now, glowing glyphs on the walls.
Voice:
"Seeker returned. Memory debt increases."
Aki:
"What does that mean? I want answers!"
Footsteps echo. A cloaked figure appears—tall, armored, glowing eyes under the hood.
???:
"You shouldn't be here yet. But since you are…"
Draws a blade.
"…prove you're worthy."
Aki's Sketchblade materializes again. Their blades clash—steel and ink spark violently.
---
Mid-fight, a scream echoes in the temple. A girl stumbles into the arena, firing magic bolts at the cloaked figure. It's Rei Solaris, dressed in knight-like armor, glowing blue.
Rei:
"You idiot, you triggered a Trial without a pact?!"
Aki:
"I don't even know what that means!"
Rei pulls him behind cover, annoyed and out of breath.
Rei:
"You're new. Of course. Great."
She reloads her glowing staff.
"Either run or fight. Pick fast."
Aki looks down at his sword—his drawing flickering as it glitches—and nods.
Aki:
"I'll fight."
---
They charge together. Magic and ink-blades slice through the trial guardian. Final blow: Aki's sword expands into a dragon-winged shape, shattering the enemy into light.
The temple shakes. Walls collapse. A portal opens. Rei grabs his arm.
Rei:
"Lesson one—never go alone. Lesson two—don't trust anything here."
She yanks him through the portal.
---
Back in the real world. Aki wakes up in his bed—shirt soaked, hands stained with black ink.
Aki (softly):
"…That girl. She was real."
He looks to the corner. The headset pulses again—this time glowing red.
Cut to black.