“The Cursed Isle”

(One day before departure. The 4th Division is on the move. The air is cold, the sky deep black. Only the wind breaks the eerie silence as they march through the rough terrain. There is a strange unease – a mix of anticipation and dread.)

Unaware Excitement

Kyro (stretches, grinning at Rex)

"I can't wait. Our first big mission outside – and straight to an island that almost no one has set foot on. Sounds like a damn cool adventure."

Rex (laughs and pats him on the shoulder)

"That's what I thought too. I bet we'll find ancient ruins, treasures, maybe even a forgotten city or something."

Zayne (slowly twirls a knife in his hand, his gaze dark)

"Or we'll find graves. And nothing else."

(Kyro pulls a face, but Rex just laughs and shakes his head.)

Rex:

"Damn, Zayne, you're a real buzzkill."

Lynora (from the shadows, calm and distant)

"Shade didn't send us because we're the best. He sent us because we're the most fitting.

The 1st Division can't afford losses. The 2nd Division is crucial for the war. The 3rd Division has its own fronts to fight.

And us? We are the unnoticed. The insignificant.

If we die, it's no strategic loss. But if we survive… then we're worth more than they thought."

(A brief silence. Rex's smile twitches slightly, but he waves it off.)

Rex:

"You guys talk like this is a death mission."

(He turns to Echo, who has remained silent so far. Her silver eyes rest coolly on him.)

Rex (grins)

"Echo, you must know stories about Black Mark. Tell us something. Is it really that bad?"

(The group falls silent. Echo remains calm, leans slightly forward, and folds her fingers. Her voice is quiet, but everyone listens.)

Echo:

"You want stories?"

(Her lips barely twitch. The flames flicker in the wind, casting erratic shadows across her face.)

Echo (quietly)

"Then listen carefully."

The Truth About Black Mark

Echo:

"Black Mark is not a name spoken lightly. The name wasn't chosen – it was earned.

The island is black like burned earth. But not because of fire – because of resonance.

A long time ago, Black Mark was a research facility of the Upper City. They wanted to discover how far resonance could go. How deep it could reach into flesh, blood, mind, and reality itself.

And they found an answer.

But some answers are better left undiscovered."

(Echo leans back, her voice remains ice-cold.)

Echo:

"They built something. A resonance core, larger than ever before. A catalyst that drenched the island in pure energy.

But resonance is not just power. It is an echo of everything that lives.

When the core overloaded, it didn't explode – it tore reality apart.

And then Black Mark began to breathe.

It became… different. Different from anything that should exist."

(A shiver runs through the group. Even Rioji raises an eyebrow slightly.)

Why No One Returns

Echo:

"Since then, no one has returned.

Not because they die.

But because Black Mark swallows them.

The island thinks. It feels. It recognizes you. And it changes you."

(Kyro swallows. Rex's hands are no longer as relaxed as before.)

Echo (whispers)

"There are rumors. Some say the researchers are still alive.

But they no longer have bodies.

Only voices.

They whisper in the walls of the ruins. They beg to be heard. But if you listen to them… your own shadow starts to whisper back."

(A quiet creak in the wood makes someone flinch. Lynora slowly lifts her head but says nothing.)

The Creatures of Black Mark

Echo (lowers her voice slightly)

"I will tell you about the Firstborn.

The researchers who were the first to study the new life forms wrote in their reports: 'The mutation is unstoppable. The island is reshaping us.'

They thought they had control.

But then it happened.

One of the scientists…

His body melted.

His skin split open. His bones liquefied. But he did not die.

He began to move.

Not on legs. But on hands that grew from his own flesh.

Every researcher who looked at him began to feel the same thing.

And now? The Firstborn crawl through the ruins. They beg for help. But you cannot kill them.

Because they are no longer themselves."

(A cold gust of wind sweeps through the camp. No one laughs anymore.)