The Ruler's Stone

Battle Between Fools or Fear

Within minutes, it was all over the news.

Every channel, every screen was flashing the same red alert. A loud siren was ringing across the whole city. Hundreds of Beasts were approaching from the north side of the city. A black wave of monsters moving fast, destroying everything in their path. Cars were crushed, buildings were shaking, and people were running for their lives.

The Mahu Fighters were sent to stop them, but they were too powerful. The Beasts killed the fighters in the blink of an eye. Screams, blood, and silence. All the front-line fighters were dead. The ground was covered with broken weapons and torn uniforms. No one could believe how strong those monsters were.

Now, those monsters are heading straight towards the heart of the city. The government announcement was clear and cold: "Everyone is advised to stay indoors or find a safe shelter immediately. This is not a drill."

Scene: A Beast is walking in the empty city street, inside a house a wife is alone, talking on video call to her husband who is out of the country. On TV the breaking news is still playing]_

_Wife:_ _(voice shaking, looking at phone screen)_ No... our son will be fine. He is the son of a warrior. Nothing will happen to him.

_Husband:_ _(on video call, background shows a foreign city, he is wearing his fighter uniform, he is angry and scared)_ Why are you saying this now? Before, you were always sad that I am a Mahu Fighter. You always hated my job. You always cried when I went for missions.

_Wife:_ Yes, I know... but he will be fine, right? Tell me he will be fine.

_Husband:_ _(pauses, looking helpless)_ I am out of the country right now because of my work. I did not leave my job. I am doing the same Mahu Fighter work here in another country. You never told me to go out of the country, this is my duty. But now I am so far away... I can't even come back to save him. The flights are all closed.

_Wife:_ _(crying)_ I know you are still a Fighter... that's why I am more scared for our son. He is also becoming like you.

_Husband:_ _(looking out of his window in another country)_ Yes. I hope he will use his power in the right way.

Secen SHIFT - NEAR A PUBLIC PLACE AND SCHOOL]_

The Beasts were near a public place and a school, getting closer to the crowd, when suddenly they all stopped at the same time. The children were screaming inside the school. Teachers were locking the doors.

Their heads turned. Their red eyes glowing brightly in the dust.

They felt it.

An abnormal, monstrous amount of power exploding from the other side of the city. It was not a voice. No one was calling them. It was pure energy, ancient and heavy, pulling them. It was a silent invitation that only Beasts could understand - like someone was standing in the dark and saying, "Come here."

_[HQ - JUNIOR IS WATCHING ]_

Junior's eyes widened. On the screen, hundreds of red dots were changing direction. His hands were sweating.

"What's happening?" he whispered. "Why are they all turning together?"

First, some of the monsters changed their direction towards the railway side. Then, as if following a command, all the other monsters started following them. A massive army of Beasts started running towards the railway side. Their numbers were growing with every second, coming out from alleys, from rooftops, from under the ground. The whole area was shaking with their footsteps.

It looked like they were all being pulled by that one strange, terrifying energy. And whatever was producing that power... was far more dangerous than the Beasts themselves.

In the next scene, a man with blue hair appears at the old railway station. He is wearing glasses and a long, dirty coat. He looks very normal, like a high school teacher. He slowly pushes his glasses up with his finger, his eyes still hidden behind them. The wind is blowing his blue hair.

_Second Person:_ What is happening! Who is that guy? Is he crazy? Why is he standing there alone?

_Third Person:_ These are the old Mahu soldiers, who in their time were also called Unmatched Heroes. But even they are scared to go there. Who is he?

_Their head officer said, "I saw that man yesterday. He was holding flowers. At that time I was buying flowers for my daughter's birthday, but the flowers she loves were already sold out. So he gave me some of his own flowers. He was smiling like an idiot."_

_Head Officer:_ He is a principal of a high school, right? He told me about that.

_Third Person:_ Sir, you are newly here on transfer, that's why you don't know about him. He is not just a principal. He is know as unmatched fighter in his working days

In the other scene, the man with blue hair is already on the ground. His glasses have fallen off. All the Beasts have now reached that place near the old railway station. They are surrounding him in a big circle, growling.

We see his face closely — his nose is bleeding badly. While coming here, he was trying to save a little girl from a monster, and during that he got attacked on his face. His coat is torn. He looks tired and silly.

He returns the little girl safely, and that little girl puts a small bandage on his bleeding nose. The bandage has a cute cat cartoon on it.

_Little Girl:_ Uncle, you look so dumb with this bandage!

He puts his hand on his leg which is hurting, and then puts his hand on his hair, and says to himself, "Ouch, ... now I have to do something. My leg, my nose...what's am I getting to old for this."

_[On-screen note in funny style: "He always gets himself hurt whenever he tries to save someone. Such an idiot."]_

Everyone watching from HQ is confused. Junior shouts, "What is he doing? He is just touching his leg and his hair! Is he doing some kind of weird exercise?"

Then the man takes a deep breath. His face becomes serious. The funny mood suddenly turns cold and dramatic.

He collects all his power in his hands. The air around him starts to crackle. Dust starts flying. He again touches his painful leg and his messy hair, and in the next second, BOOM! A strong, glowing blue skeleton made of pure mana appears around his body. It is giant, shining, and terrifying. Its eyes are burning like fire.

The Beasts take one step back. For the first time, they are scared.

The blue-haired man, with a cat bandage on his nose and a glowing god-like skeleton behind him, smiles and says, "Okay. Let's start the class."