Chapter 3 : Echoes Beneath the Silk Moon

soft tones of shadow and glow, dialogues flowing like whispered secrets beneath the moon.

[Scene opens in a quiet corner of Dahlia’s estate garden]

(Cherry blossoms shimmer under moonlight. The air is still, but tense. Hana walks barefoot, her gown trailing behind, lost in thought. Dahlia’s figure leans against a marble pillar, eyes closed, smoke curling from a half-burnt cigar.)

Dahlia (softly, opening her eyes):

“You’re walking around again at night, Hana…”

Hana (smiles faintly):

“And you’re smoking again… Didn’t you promise you’d stop if I stayed?”

[Narration – ink swirling like mist over petals]

(Her voice was light, but behind that smile… guilt trembled. Ever since Mira left without a goodbye, silence had nested in their home. Dahlia never spoke of the pain. Hana carried it for both of them but deep inside she was guilt redden)

Dahlia (approaches slowly, eyes dark with knowing):

“You’re still dreaming of her.”

Hana (gazes at the moon):

“She said goodbye with her eyes before the bullet ever did.”

[Flashback sequence — monochrome panels]

Gunshots. Blood spraying in slow motion. Rehana screaming. Mira turning her back to shield her. Then silence. A coma.

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[Scene shift – Mira’s hospital room, USA]

(Monitors beep. Mira sleeps peacefully. Rihanna sits at her bedside, holding her hand, whispering stories from their past.)

Rihanna (voice trembling):

“You once told me you’d come back… even if the world forgot your name. So I waited… for two years. Please, Mira. Come back to me.”

She didn’t cry. Rehana never cried. But her grip tightened on Mira’s hand, as though if she held her hard enough, she’d anchor her soul back into the world.

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[Scene – Inside an abandoned bar in the old district]

Characters emerge:

D.U. — Mary’s sharp-tongued friend, a tactician with an old revolver and sharper sarcasm.

Blossom — Dahlia’s long-lost mafia ally, now returned with her own agenda.

Evenie — Hana’s childhood friend, now a mole in a rival syndicate.

Kea — Hana’s mother, once thought dead, now living under a new name.

Blossom (arms crossed, sipping bourbon):

“So this is what Dahlia’s kingdom has become… love, tears, and whispered ghosts.”

D.U. (loading bullets):

“Be glad it’s still standing. The entire eastern faction is aligning with Mira’s father. War’s coming.”

Evenie (pulling her scarf tighter):