Echos before the eclipse EP3:The Crimson Veil

Hidden Ruins Beneath the Academy

Faint light leaks through cracked stone as Raiko (young) and Nael (younger) descend a staircase cloaked in glyphs and spiritual dust.

Nael (whispering):

Raiko… are we even allowed to be down here?

Raiko (focused):

No. That’s the point. The instructors said these ruins predate the academy. I need to see what they’re hiding.

They reach a sealed door engraved with Veil symbols. Raiko places his hand on it, and it glows faintly.

Raiko:

It’s reacting to me…

A sudden pulse throws both of them back. The door opens just slightly. A low whisper echoes from within.

Whispering Voice (distorted):

“The Crimson Veil… calls to the broken…”

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Opening Theme Plays – Title Card: Echoes Before the Eclipse

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Scene 2 – Academy Courtyard – Midday

Genshi is showing off a flashy new move to Ayame while Kazuya watches silently from a distance. Kairo sits reading under a tree, eyes twitching subtly as if hearing something.

Ayame (smirking):

That technique looks cool until it snaps your own spine.

Genshi (grinning):

Then it’ll be a stylish spine snap.

Kazuya (to himself):

They’re all smiling… like they don’t feel the pull of the Veil.

Kairo (closing his notebook):

…It’s getting louder, isn’t it?

Kazuya’s chains rattle slightly in response. A cold wind brushes the courtyard. A shadow flits across the sky.

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Scene 3 – Forbidden Chamber, Night

Raiko and Nael sneak back to the chamber. They enter the door they found earlier, now open wider. Inside is a glowing mural depicting an ancient war—the first known Veil War.

Nael (awe-struck):

These people… they weren’t exorcists. They became the spirits.

Raiko:

No… they merged with them. Through something called “The Crimson Veil.”

They find a scroll sealed in crystal. As Raiko touches it, blood pours from his palm, but the scroll responds—unsealing and burning a symbol into Raiko’s arm.

Raiko (gritting teeth):

It… chose me?

Nael (terrified):

Raiko… something’s wrong. Your eyes… they’re glowing.

Disembodied Voice (Ancient and Furious):

“You open what should remain shattered…”

Spiritual winds tear the room apart. Nael clings to Raiko. Red mist engulfs the scene as ghostly warriors emerge from the mural.

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Scene 4 – Aftermath – Infirmary

Raiko wakes up in a bed. Bandaged. Pale. Nael sits nearby, clearly shaken.

Raiko (weakly):

You stayed?

Nael:

Of course I did. I thought you died down there.

Raiko (looking at his arm):

The Crimson Veil… it’s inside me now. I saw everything. The war. The fall. The sacrifice…

Nael (softly):

What if we’re not meant to know this?

Raiko (distant):

Then we’ll be the ones who break what’s “meant to be.”

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Scene 5 – Council Chambers (Later That Night)

The Headmaster and other Spirit Council members argue in hushed tones.

Headmaster:

Raiko breached the Crimson Sanctuary. He should be expelled.

Elder Exorcist:

He wasn’t consumed. That means something. The Veil recognized him.

Councilwoman:

Or corrupted him…

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Final Scene – Raiko’s Room – Alone

Raiko studies his glowing forearm. The sigil pulses softly.

Raiko (to himself):

If the Veil chose me… then I’ll choose how it ends.

A faint glow pulses through his eye. Cut to Nael’s dorm—he stares out the window. A single tear rolls down his cheek as the whispers begin to invade his dreams.

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Post-Credits Scene

A shadowy figure in chains stands in the original mural room—alone.

Unknown Spirit:

Two lights… two fates… only one shall eclipse the other.

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