Saturday, November 5, 2011

Queen of the Secret Police

 
Panel 1
Wide – Int. – We are inside of a tea room that is open-aired and garden inspired. Men and women with money are being waited upon by servants dressed plainly in smocks, contrasted by their heavy and ornate make-up. The patrons are seated on large, comfortable zabutons (pillowpads) at low wooden tables. The entire place bespeaks comfort and elegance. An old man of 60 or so, Soichi, sits at a table speaking to an even older man, Ojiisan. Ojiisan closely resembles the Indian saint, Sri Yuketswar - see resource file for photos. Next to Soichi, is a young man kneeling in prayer position with Soichi's sword strapped to his back. Soichi has a short-cropped, snowy beard, and short white hair with eyebrows that reach his chin.

At another table is a man in regal clothing, having a drink with a large man who wears maroon robes and a great black beard. Standing upright and next to the large man, is a staff with a brass circle on its top, with a shrewd looking crow perched inside of it.

There are assorted others of interest having sake and tea.

Panel 2
CU – Birds eye view– Soichi’s hand placing a small, lavender blossom on the table.

Soichi : I trust you have seen this before?

Panel 3
Extreme CU – The flower is beautiful and fresh looking. It resembles a peony.

Ojiisan : I have had occasion to grow the Threshold Blossom. It distorts sound so that others may not hear our conversation. Hmm.

Panel 4
CU – The old man bows his head to the older man.

Soichi : It was given to me by my masters to conceal that which must be spoken between us.

Panel 5
Extreme CU – Ojiisan’s eye. Within the pupil we see a large tree with mountains resting on its top. There is a city of temples in the mountains.

Panel 6
CU – The older man.

Ojiisan : The Oracles of the Sway Temple.

Panel 7
Med. – The old man with his head still bowed.

Soichi : Yes, Lord.

Panel 8
Med. – Over the older man’s shoulder– looking at Soichi.

Ojiisan : Tell me then what the Oracles wish to say.

Panel 9
Wide – Soichi raises his head.

Soichi : Our Empress, the child-witch, has stolen the wonder sword, Murakumo. Our Diviners cannot locate it.

Ojiisan : No, she hasn’t.

Panel 10
Med. – Cu – Soichi seems startled.

Soichi : Forgive me?

Panel 11
CU – Closed eyes of Ojiisan.

Ojiisan : God nor Man may penetrate the the veil of Murakumo - however, I see those who hunt it. I see the Oni..

Panel 12
Med./wide – Profile – Their table.

Soichi : Demons?

Ojiisan : They quest on behalf of the Empress, even as the Guardians of the Oracles track it.

Panel 13
Same shot, but wider.

Soichi : Can you divine if we shall find it before the Oni?

Ojiisan : I intend no disrespect, young master, yet for me to assist your Oracles in this matter and at this time, would be a most terrible idea.

Panel 14
CU – Soichi

Soichi : He who wields the blade is unstoppable! We must not let it fall..

Ojiisan : Unstoppable? Hmph! A sleeping man cannot be held accountable for his actions, or inactions.

Panel 15
Extreme CU – Ojiisan’s eye. In the pupil, we see the captain of the city guard, Officer Daisuke, brushing at a spot on his uniform/armor. He is tall and straight and has the comport of high rank.

Panel 16
Wide.  – Profile – Officer Daisuke has stood up from his table in the same tea house as the two old men, whom we can see in the background, with the flower on their table. He is brushing at his uniform exactly as was shown in Panel 15.

Panel 17
Med. – Officer Daisuke bows to the three city guards who remain seated at their table.

Panel 18
Med. – but tighter – He turns heel and walks out into the street.

Panel 19
Same shot size – He walks in the direction of the main gates which all people must pass through before entering the city proper.

Panel 20
Med. – Wide – Once there, a set of soldiers bow to him. A blind hunchback (Hanaru) - with a long walking stick and eyes bound in heavy gauze, carries a small, heavy bag. He shuffles behind them, and toward the inner set of gates within the city. There are people and wagons everywhere.

Both Soldiers in unison : Captain Daisuke.

Panel 21
Med./Wide - We leave the officer and follow Hanaru as he filters through the crowd.

Panel 22
Wide – Hanaru walks with his head down past all manner of activity. The beautiful gates on the second set of walls are open, and he is making his way to them.

Caption : Hanaru can barely contain himself.

Panel 23
CU – He is smirking.

Caption :  His hunch has been replaced by tiny gold bars, swaddled in leather, and bound to his shoulders.

Caption : He has been made strong by the sword and feels that he could carry ten times as much.

Panel 24
Med.- He passes through gates of beautifully carved stone and wooden beams.

Caption : He knows that before the moon trades places with the sun - he will be bathed, in new clothes, fed, and in the arms of a willing whore.

Caption : He realizes that with the absence of constant pain, he thinks more clearly.

Panel 25
Med. – He laughs out loud to himself as he passes a gate guard.

Caption : For some reason, this serves to amuse him all the more.

Gate Guard : I do not see what is so funny, beggar. You reek of piss.

Panel 26
CU – Hanaru flashes him the deep slice of a knowing smile. He spies an Inn.

Panel 27
CU – Inn sign – One candle with two flames sprouting off the wick. In kanji script, the name of the Inn.

Caption : “The Twin Lights”

Panel 28
Ext. – Med. – It is twilight outside of the Twin Lights, as Hanaru steps out into the dimness. He is standing fully erect. His hair is swept back in a gold ring, he is dressed in fine clothing, and is still wielding the walking stick in his right hand.

Panel 29
Wide – Hanaru strolling through the main street, which has a festival aesthetic to it. Cirque (but clearly Japanese) style tents and street performers, candles in colored globes, wine and dancing. This is an affluent district of the city and there are only adults about. His head is held high and whistling. He has a certain grace to his step and seems to be a different man altogether.

Panel 29a
Small- Rectangle overlay - Ex. CU - Hanaru frowning.

Caption : On the edges of his high spirits lurks fear.

Panel 29b
Tall - Hanaru walking farther along the festival route.

Caption : Before leaving the forest, he stripped new bark from saplings and wound them tightly around the hilt and scabbard. The result, he muses, is a very fetching walking pole.

Panel 30 
Med. – He is heading down a dark and filthy alley, leaving the fair behind. In the darkness, shines an orange light which is small and hangs above a black iron door.

Panel 31
Extreme CU – The tip of the hilt, which is wrapped in silver-brown bark, connecting with a hinged panel on the iron door, making a “Knock” SFX.

Panel 32
CU – Int. – O.S - The iron panel is thrown back and we see the back of a bouncer's head. We also see Hanaru through the square port that looks out into the alley. He is smiling, a gold bar held in his fingers.

Panel 33
Ext. - Med./Tall – Profile - Hanaru in the alley, in the rosy light of the open door. Soft billows of smoke waft out as well, as if beckoning.

Panel 34
Very Wide. – Takes up both pages  - Hanaru’s back is to us, his silhouette. The bouncer is a typically large man who is bowing low and gesturing to the spectacle before us. It is a massive room with an open area in the center, rung with huge pillows and hammocks strung randomly between pillars. The lighting is soft red/amber with shadows and silhouettes everywhere. A haze of smoke rests in the canopy of the room. Topless women with crazy hairstyles and headdresses are dancing, rubbing, kissing, and holding/lighting long pipes and hookahs for nearly naked men and women of much higher rank.
In the middle of the room, men and women are tangled in an orgy, with the naughty bits cleverly hidden in smoke and shadows.
The décor is opulent, which contrasts, but compliments the rough timber and architecture of the building.

Panel 35
CU. – Hanaru handing the gold to an old woman who is giving him a wicked smile. Behind her is a group of giggling and flirty women, all different and exotic.

Panel 36
Med./CU – Profile – Three very sexy women hanging on his every limb as they lead him past the orgy.

Panel 38
Med. – Wide – Profile - They are taking him down a corridor with it's walls made of paneled rice paper. He can see the silhouettes of people hung from the rafters having sex, a man standing and smoking a pipe while a cluster of women are gathered around his mid-section. Ahead of them is a room without light.

Panel 39
Med. – Hanaru is ushered into the dark room. Inside is a wide mattress with an extravagant hookah beside it. Small, red paper lamps are hanging at varying heights from thin chains bolted to the ceiling. 

Panel 40
CU – Profile – One of the women is lighting the lamps while the second one is pulling him down onto the mattress. The last one is filling the hookah, a stem resides in her hand.

Panel 41
Same shot – The woman with the stem, puts it to his lips, her other hand is planted firmly on his chest. Eyes closed and head tilted back, he inhales deeply as the other two women slide down his body.

Panel 42
CU – He exhales a huge and fragrant plume.

Caption : An odd thing happens to Hanaru.

Panel 43 – Birds eye – Hanaru with one arm crooked behind his head. We see the back of the first woman's head over his chest. He is smiling wide and looking at the ceiling, at us.

Caption : An awareness, separate from himself, surges into his conciousness. He thinks it must be the opium.

Caption : No, he tells himself, it is the Sword.

Panel 44
Med./CU – From his P.O.V, he is looking down at the sword. The bark dressing of the 'walking stick' is beginning to loosen in spots.

Caption (dark green background) : Do you wish to succumb to these pleasures?

Caption : Yes, he thinks. Gods, yes.

Panel 45
Same shot – Everything turns blurry. The light intensifies.

Panel 46
Darkness

Panel 47
Med. – We’re still in his room, but now the women are simply sitting around him. One is running her fingers through her hair.

One : He’s not a local.  Should we..

Two : I don’t know. I can’t get into anymore trouble. What do you think, Rishi?

Rishi : I absolutely think we should.

Panel 48
Same shot – Different angle – One and Two are going through his clothes, and Rishi is examining the walking stick.

Panel 49
Extreme CU – Rishi is pulling back the strip of bark which is wrapped at the point where the scabbard meets the hilt.

Rishi : ..and what is this?

Panel 50
Med./CU – One is turned to Rishi, while Two is holding up a pouch, heavy with gold.

Two whispers : Aha!

One : What did you find, Rishi?

Panel 51
Extreme/CU – Rishi slides the the scabbard away from the blade, a third of the way down.

Panel 52
Med./Wide – We are looking at the outside wall of the room, as it would be seen in the hallway. The room glows intensely with green light.

Rishi : Oh my..

Panel 53
Med. – From what would be Hanaru’s POV – Rishi is on her knees in a slight profile, staring with her mouth open at the source of light, which bathes her rather prettily. Hanaru is waking up and we hear him speak from below the frame.

Hanaru : How dare..

Panel 54
Same shot – She looks towards us, at Hanaru, surprised at being caught. Her right hand is hovering above the sword.

Panel 55
Med. – Profile – He is still laying on his back and turns his head to see One and Two, frozen. Two is still holding the bag and One has gold in her hand, which glints sharply green.

Panel 56
Med./Wide – He twists his body to reach out to snatch the bag back. Being a bit groggy, he seems to have momentarily forgotten that the sword is still attached to his hand.

Hanaru : Give that back to me!

Panel 57
Extreme CU – The blade slicing through Rishi's splayed fingers. The blade has tiny, kanji-like light designs inscribed into it. It is brilliant the way a fluorescent is. Her blood is very black in this light.

Panel 58
Med./Wide – The sword completes it arc, replete with green tracers, and the added length of the scabbard swings down and breaks One’s forearm.

Panel 59
Wide – Top Half of this page. - The room in it's entirety. Hanaru is naked and on his feet, with his back to us. Rishi is clutching her right wrist with her left hand as blood sprays everywhere. One is crouched down cradling her arm. Two is breaking through the rice paper wall that leads into the hall. All three are screaming.

Hanaru : It was an accident! I swear it!

Panel 60
Same shot – Rishi is running out, One is crawling away from Hanaru, and Two is impaled on the splintered piece of panelling that she has crashed  through. Torch lights are approaching from down the hall.

Panel 61
Same shot – Men with weapons and torches have poured into the room. Men are helping One up and unsticking Two. Rishi is gone. There is blood everywhere.
 
Hanaru : I..

Panel 62
Med. – Hanaru from the waist up, holding the unsheathed sword, facing us with his head hung low, not looking at us.

Hanaru : Forgive me.

Panel 63
Wide – Profile – The men advance.

Panel 64
Med./Wide – He leaps into them, his face hard.

Caption : Hanaru, who has never killed before, sees only one choice.

Panel 65
Very Wide – Hanaru is using the sword to slice through them all, he is a blur, everywhere at once. Tears stream from his eyes.

Panel 66
Same shot – He sheathes the sword. All around him is death.

Panel 67
CU – He is sprinting down the hall.

Panel 68
CU – A bit wider – People scatter as he comes running.

Panel 69
CU – Thin vertical frame – He begins to loosen the sword from its scabbard again.

Panel 70
Same shot – It is halfway out.

Panel 71
Same shot – The sword is out and he is arcing it up..

Panel 72
Same shot – ..arcing it over his head and hurtling through the open main room.

Panel 73
Med. – His back is to us as he approaches the iron door leading to the alley. He swings downward against the side of the door where the thick hinges are, slicing a huge gash.

Panel 74
Med. – Looking down the alley – The door slams to the alley ground and Hanaru sprawls out over it.

Panel 75
Same shot – Hanaru is running towards us, his face a grimace of agony and his face shining with tears and sweat. His eyes are flooded with panic.

Panel 76
Same shot – He is gone from the frame.

Panel 77
Tall – He leaps straight up onto a building.

Panel 78
Very wide – He is leaping from roof-top to roof-top.

Panel 79
Med. – Int. – His darkened room, we see him leap in through his open window at the Inn, still naked. The sword is in its scabbard.

Panel 80
Med. – He is dressing in his old rags.

Caption : He had only bought the one set of nice clothes.


Panel 81
Med. – Hanaru is writing at a desk. The sword sits on the desk, unsheathed some to provide light. Of course, everything is washed in a green glow.

Panel 82
Med. – Same shot as Panel 79 – He leaps out of the window.

Panel 83
Med./Wide – In the light of the moon, he drops two pieces of gold into the dirty hands of a child-beggar.

Panel 84
Extreme CU – Bird's eye – Hanaru places the folded note into the child’s hand.

Panel 85
Med. – Profile – The child turns his head to see Hanaru running away.

Panel 86
Med. – The silhouette of the city wall. We see Hanaru has just jumped over it, landing to the ground outside .

Panel 87
Wide. – Bird's eye at an angle – Hanaru is racing away from us and into the dark forest.

Panel 88
Med./Wide – Ext. – The beggar child is standing outside the door of a ying-yang diviner's shop. He has just knocked. It is barely dawn.

Panel 89
Same shot – a bit tighter – The door is open and a befuddled old man in a night robe, with longish eyebrows, and a chest length soul patch leans out.

Beggar Child : You are an Onmyoji?

Onmyoji : Indeed. Keep it to the streets, eh young man?

Panel 90
Med. – Vertical – The Onmyoji’s P.O.V looking down at the child, who has his hand out with the paper and a small bar of gold sitting on it.

Panel 91
Same shot – Child’s P.O.V as the Onmyoji takes the items with one hand and pulls a clear, disc-shaped crystal from his robes with the other. It is palm sized.

Panel 92
Extreme CU – The old wizard’s P.O.V – He is holding the magnifying crystal over the text, the gold bar under his thumb.

Onmyoji : Alright then.

Panel 93
Med./Wide – The Onmyoji’s storefront. The old man is looking up as if to say more to the child, but the child has vanished.

Panel 94
CU – Officer Daisuke - looking at us, with his finger pressed to his chin. He is thinking.

Panel 95
Wide – He is surveying Hanaru's room at the opium den. It is a complete wreck. Behind him is a line of soldiers, stalk still. He points to a crumpled pile of Hanaru’s clothes and gold.
A younger man in a solid Black Robe, with a long braid of hair growing from the top of his otherwise bald head, is crouched down and examining the floor. Next to him is a couple of medium-sized, up-right, leather bags.

Officer Daisuke : This is all that remains behind?

Black Robe : The bark as well.

Panel 96
CU – Hanaru's clothing with the gold laying on them.

Officer Daisuke (from out of frame) : Gather them up. For your sake, do not touch them.

Panel 97
Med./CU – Black Robe is using long, brass tong-like chopsticks to pick up the clothes and deposit them into one of the bags.

Officer Daisuke (from out of frame) : It is a wonder no one has taken the gold away.

Black Robe : They believe it to be cursed, my lord.

Panel 98
CU – Officer Daisuke with his arms crossed, smirking.

Officer Daisuke : I am sure that they do. We are done here.

Panel 99
Med. – Profile – Officer Daisuke speaking to the old Madam, her head bowed low.

Officer Daisuke : Let this be the last we meet for a long while, old woman.

Madam : Yes, Taichou.*

Caption : *Captain

Panel 100
Med./Wide – The Officer Daisuke and Black Robe climbing into a low, simple; yet handsome wagon, harnessed to two large tigers. The soldiers walk three on each side and two behind it.

Panel 101
Med./CU – The two of them sitting side by side.

Black Robe : He will do it again.

Officer Daisuke : Perhaps.

Panel 102
Wide - The officer is dismounting the carriage, taking the bags. They are in front of his estate.

Officer Daisuke : I will take these. I must be alone to meditate now. I will send word when I am ready to receive you.

Black Robe : Of course, my lord.

Panel 103
Med./Wide – The Officer walks towards the front door of his smallish, inner-city estate. The door is blood-red and inlaid with fine, dark metal swirls. Two guards walk behind him.

Panel 104
Med./ Thin – The door is opened by servants from the inside. The two soldiers flank the outside of the door. The officer enters.

Panel 105
Med. – Once inside, with the door shut behind him, he addresses his servants.

Officer Daisuke: Leave the room.

Panel 106
Med. – They exit, bowing. Still standing with a bag in his hand, he fishes into his uniform.

Panel 107
CU  - Thin Vertical – He pulls out a crystal that exudes smoky firelight.

Panel 108
Same shot – He spins around to face the door.

Panel 109
Same shot – He is reaching up as if to touch the crystal to the the center of the door at head level, where the dark metal swirls together.

Panel 110
Extreme/CU – Thin vertical profile – He continues reaching forward with the crystal as the metal comes toward it in tendrils.

Panel 111
CU – The door seeming to 'set' around the crystal.

Panel 112
CU – Officer Daisuke's hand on the handle.

Panel 113
Med./Wide – He opens the door to Hell.

Panel 114
Wide – The Onmyoji standing at the edge of a small clearing in the deep woods. A medium-sized boulder is in the center.

Panel 115
Med./CU –The Onmyoji cradling a canvas bag beneath one arm and holding up the note from earlier in the air with his other hand.

Onmyoji : I am here! And I am alone, as you asked!

Panel 116
Med./Cu – The boulder.

Panel 117
Same shot – Hanaru leaping into a crouch on the stone.

Hanaru : I am grateful that you have come.

Panel 118
Med./Wide – Profile – Hanaru stepping down from the stone. The Onmyoji is facing him.

Onmyoji : I felt that I should and the tea confirmed my intuition.

Panel 119
Med. – The two men are sitting across from each other on the carpet of the clearing, a wooden bowl with markings on the rim rests between them. Hanaru appears devastated, the Onmyoji is sunny and good natured.

Onmyoji : Caught like the ant in sap, eh?

Hanaru : This is no light matter, magician.

Panel 120
CU – Onmyoji’s face frowning.

Onmyoji : No. It isn't, is it? Well, let us see it then.

Panel 121
CU/Wide – Birds eye – We see in great detail the sword in its scabbard. Hanaru’s fist is gripping the hilt and the Onmyoji’s ringed fingers trace the designs.

Panel 122
Extreme CU – The old wizard’s eyes reflect what we see in Panel 33, but his fingers have traced farther down the scabbard. Both eyes are crying from the corners. From out of the frame, Hanaru says –

Hanaru : Onmyoji.. what sword is this?

Panel 123
Med./CU – The Onmyoji’s face from the shoulders up. He is smiling and his tears are unnoticed.

Onmyoji : My son, I will tell you a story.

Panel 124
CU – Hanaru’s eyes, concentrated.

Caption : Every god and goddess rules their own sphere, their own existence.

Panel 125
Same shot – Hanaru’s eyes are closed.

Onmyoji : There are Heavens and Hells.

Onmyoji : Spheres of wonder and of strange quality which we will never even begin to imagine.

Panel 126
Med./Wide – They are still in their sitting positions. Hanaru’s head is bowed, while the Onmyoji is looking upwards to the sky.

Onmyoji : More realms than one could count in countless lives.

Panel 127
Extreme/CU – The designs on the scabbard.

Onmyoji : I have heard different beginnings to this tale. In some, he came before anyone or anything was ever created. In others, he comes from the far future and rearranges the universe to his vision.

Hanaru : Who?

Panel 128
Same shot – Different section of the scabbard.

Onmyoji : The owner of this instrument. Its name is Murakumo - The Blade of Assembled Clouds.

Panel 129
Darkness in a thin strip from one side of the page to the other.

Caption : In my favorite telling, they say he travelled from his world to the heart of nothingness. With Murakumo held before him as a focus, he created the Dragon.

Panel 130
Full 2 pages – Total darkness of the ether. A transparent, ghostly outline of a man in a long sleeved jacket with Murakumo held horizontally, very faint, wispy green light feathers around it. In the middle is a floating island made of rock. We see the form of a dragon on it. Barely.

Caption : The Dragon is greater in size than can be conceived.

Caption : He then created the Prophet. In some stories the Prophet is a blind girl-child, in others she is the first sphere.

Caption : I have heard in one that she is his daughter and in another, his wife. Sometimes she is an old woman with a bird.

Caption : If they have proper names, no one has ever heard them.

Caption : Simply, the Dragon and the Prophet. 

Caption : Once the two were made, he took from between his eyes, the Universe; and set it on the back of the Dragon.

Caption : And then he was gone.

Caption – Hanaru (indicated by different colored caption background) : Where did he go?

Caption : Maybe to where he started, or perhaps he moved on? I do not know, its a story. I like to think that if it were real, we are all bits of him, the way trees make up a forest.

Caption : What is said though, is that Murakumo was left behind with the Prophet who guards against the Dragon which sleeps.

Caption : All of the tales end this way.

Caption  - Hanaru : Is there more to it?

Caption : Not that I know of.

Panel 131 – Next Page
Med. – Hanaru standing up. The Onmyoji still sits, looking up at him.

Onmyoji : If it has made itself known in our sphere, I can only imagine who will be searching for it now.

Hanaru : What will we do?

Onmyoji : We? I will pray for your safety..

Panel 132
CU – Onmyoji’s face, which is very grave and his eyes are closed.

Onmyoji : You need only to try to stay alive.

Panel 133
Wide – Profile – The old wizard is still sitting there and has opened his eyes. Hanaru has disappeared.

Panel 134
Med./Wide – We see the Officer Daisuke, sitting cross-legged on a very wide, stone platform, circled by a low, stone fence. A set of stairs begin behind him leading to the red door, affixed to nothing but air. All around, he is surrounded by fire and darkness. He is facing us with the bags next to him, his back very straight.

Panel 135
Med. – Officer Daisuke’s POV – A huge, grotesque hand is grasping the lip of the platform. The other hand is reaching up to find purchase as well.

Panel 136
Med./Wide – An incredibly large Oni in battle gear is climbing up. It’s leg is over the fence.

Panel 137
Med. – It is facing us and is horrible to look upon. It has four arms and its second head is that of a wolf, to give you an idea. (See attatched resource file - these things are weird as hell to begin with, so you can be creative.)

Panel 138
Very Wide – Profile – It is sitting across from the Officer in a yogi meditation pose. The Officer in comparison is about the size of the nail on its little toe.

Oni General : You know who now possesses the Sword, do you not, little servant?

Officer Daisuke : I have his belongings, General. He was in my city just this morning.

Panel 139
Med./Wide – From Daisuke’s P.O.V – Looking up at the demon is truly terrifying from this vantage. His lips are curled back in pleasure as he looks down at us.

Oni General : Then we will find him. Come to attention.. Governor Daisuke.

Panel 140
CU – The newly appointed Governor’s face, which is pleased, but maintaining his dignity.

Governor Daisuke : My most profound gratitude, my lord, General.

Panel 141
Med./CU – Profile – The Governor Daisuke bowing at the waste to the Oni, whom all we can see of is the tips of his massive feet.

Oni General : Go now.

Panel 142
CU – The General’s smile, toothsome and terrifying. Pinched together, in his giant fingernails that come to needle points, are Hanaru’s new set of clothes. He is holding them up to his nostrils and inhaling deeply.

Panel 143
Med. – Hanaru streaking through a forest. Mid-day.

Panel 144
Med. – Hanaru climbing a mountain. Twilight.

Panel 145
Med. – He is standing on a peak looking down at another expanse of forest, the high winds whip at him.

Panel 146
Med. – Hanaru climbing down the mountain. It is dark.

Panel 147
Med./Wide – He leaps down off of the base of the mountain rock.

Panel 148
Med. – We see the dark shapes of demons at the edge of the trees. We see Hanaru a few yards in front of them as if we were behind them, watching. He is looking grimly at them.

Hanaru : Sooner it is.

Panel 149
Wide – Hanaru’s POV – There is a wall of Oni facing us, lit green. They have their weapons drawn and are in battle positions.

Panel 150
Med.  – Hanaru is crouched down, Murakumo drawn.

Panel 151
CU – Hanaru’s face, which is grimaced for battle. His eyes are hard slits.

Panel 152
Wide – Profile – He is in mid-air, his entire body is arched back. He is screaming a battle cry.

Panel 153
Med. – He is slashing them.

Panel 154
Med. – He is spinning, taking off heads.

Panel 155
Med. – And limbs.

Panel 156
Wide – He is in the midst of the horde, everywhere at once.

Panel 157
Med./Cu – Profile – An Oni with a sling-shot cocked back.

Panel 158
Extreme CU – The Oni’s hairy fingers releasing the sling. In the leather strap is a clear ball with a blue sparkly cloud in it.

Panel 159
CU – The top half of the ball takes up the lower half of the panel as if we are directly behind it. Ahead of us is Hanaru, his eyes are on the ball and Murakumo is held straight up in front of him.

Panel 160
Extreme CU – Profile – The marble-sized ball has just been split in half by the blade, which has the cool thin designs of light etched into it. Blue sparkly powder is pluming out from the halved ball.

Panel 161
Med – Hanaru standing amidst the cloud of blue sparkle, the blade still upright before him.

Panel 162
Same shot – He falls to one knee. The tip of the sword is in the ground to help him keep his balance. His head is bowed. The Oni are not attacking, but watching.

Panel 163
Same shot – He slumps over, falling to his side.

Panel 164
Same shot – Darkness.

Panel 165
CU – Hanaru’s POV – His eyes open a bit, this shot clearly indicates we are looking through his lidded eyes. We see a demon looking down at him, in the direction of his arm, with a short-handled axe raised over it's head.

Panel 166
Same shot – Darkness.

Panel 167
Med. – We see Ojiisan in meditation pose in a room somewhere, half-lidded, and lit by the moon.

Panel 168
Extreme CU – Ojiisan's eye. In the pupil, we see Hanaru laying unconscious on the ground in a semi-fetal position. The hand which held the sword is now cut off mid-forearm and there is a sizeable pool of blood formed around the arm. His hunch has returned.

Ojiisan : A sleeping man cannot be held accountable for his actions, or inactions. Hmm.

Panel 169
Med – Bird's eye – We are looking down and see a man on his knees, over Hanaru’s body.

Panel 170
CU – Graceful hands cuffed by long, ornate sleeves have tied a tourniquet just below Hanaru’s elbow and is now wrapping cloth around the stump. There seems to be a jar of herbs next to him as well.

Panel 171
Med. – Vertical – This Character stands up and wipes his hands against each other. He will be introduced in a future issue.

Panel 172
Same shot – He turns to a profile. Leaving a cloth bag behind, he walks out of the frame.

Panel 173
Med. – Angled profile – The old Onmyoji sitting before a house shrine. Lit by candles, he is murmuring prayers.

Panel 174
Same shot – He stops murmuring and opens his eyes wide.

Panel 175
CU – His hands picking up his wooden bowl, there are runes facing upside down in it.

Panel 176
Extreme/CU – He swipes them up with his left hand, his right hand is holding back the sleeve of his robe.

Panel 177
Same shot – He casts them down and we see them falling into place.

Panel 178
Med./Tall – Profile – He is looking down into the bowl.

Panel 179
Same shot – He buries his face in his hands.

Panel 180 – Last Page
Full Page – Long shot– We open on a feast in the main dinning hall at the Imperial Palace. We are looking down the table towards the head, at a slight, downward angle to give it all perspective. The wall which backdrops the scene is breathtaking. Gold, set in gilt patterns with deep swoops of dark purple banners on either side of a finely crafted wood and gold throne, positioned at the head of the lacquered table.
   Sitting on the throne is the four-year old Empress. She is wearing a simple gown of lavender silk. She has short, ink black hair and babyish cheeks. She is doll-like, with large, dark intelligent eyes that make her seem slightly alien and creepy. She has a small pink mouth and her face is very serious to the point of being expressionless. She is staring directly at us. Before her is a small greenish/white cake sitting on a silver stemmed plate.
   The rest of the table is loaded with meat and wine. Down each side of the table are seated drunk and horrible looking Oni. They are tearing at the meat and raising their cups, or spilling the wine into their open mouths. One is crouched on it's chair reaching over to steal a haunch of meat from across the table.
   Mounted on the wall above the throne is Murakumo, still attached to Hanaru’s hand and forearm.


The end of issue #2 Mythic - Queen of the Secret Police ©
Blue Christian Winterhawk 2011