Unique Concept Manga

[Manga Page 1 Prompt: The 3rd Rhythm - Flashback Intro] Create a high-quality full-color manga page, Page 1. The page should be divided into 3 distinct panels with a clear narrative flow. Overall Tone & Style: Gritty Seinen Manga, Urban Grunge aesthetic. Detailed line art, vibrant but slightly desaturated colors, sharp focus on character expressions and internal monologue. Panel 1 (Top - Medium Shot): Content: The protagonist (Ryo - 182cm, muscular build, stoic face) is sitting on his stock Honda Wave 110i motorcycle with a Line Man delivery bag, stopped at a city red light. He's wearing his black baggy oversized sweater, light blue baggy jeans, and a retro half-shell helmet (no visor), showing his messy hair and silver ear piercings. Action/Expression: He looks straight ahead, calm and expressionless. The background shows blurred city traffic. Dialogue/Text: None from the protagonist. Panel 2 (Middle - Wide Shot, slightly above the protagonist's eye level): Content: Shifts focus slightly to the sidewalk beside the protagonist's motorcycle. A small, innocent boy excitedly points at a passing military truck (or a prominent military poster), looking up at his mother with bright, hopeful eyes. Dialogue/Text (Speech Bubble from boy): "Mom! I want to be a soldier when I grow up!" Mood: Hopeful, innocent, a stark contrast to the protagonist's inner world. Panel 3 (Bottom - Composite Panel, showing a split flashback): Content: This panel depicts a dual flashback, a direct visual response to the boy's dream. The left side of the panel shows a dark, gritty flashback of the protagonist (younger, more intense) fiercely punching a heavy sandbag in a dimly lit boxing gym. Sweat is flying. The right side shows him wildly playing drums on a dimly lit, smoky stage, hair flailing, with extreme intensity, a drumstick possibly breaking. Mood: Intense, raw, powerful, and slightly melancholic or regretful. The colors in this flashback should be darker, more muted, with strong contrast, emphasizing the lost passion or intensity compared to his current quiet life. Dialogue/Text (Thought Bubble from protagonist): "A dream, huh..." (The text should appear slightly faded, emphasizing it's an internal thought).
Africa Climate Disinformation Toolkit The continent’s first integrated guide to climate misinformation has been finalised. Led by an information integrity expert, the toolkit documents: Recurring myths Localised misinformation patterns Platform-driven manipulation Emerging online climate narratives Launching this December via webinar, the Toolkit already informs youth trainings and content strategy. It will be publicly accessible for download and reading.
seinen manga, black and white, soft grayscale, cinematic lighting, intimate quiet setting, subtle sensual tension, no explicit content rear view composition from behind a reading chair a woman sitting in a chair wearing a loose blouse, barefoot, relaxed posture, legs resting over the armrests naturally she is holding and reading a small book of poetry, calm and composed, slightly detached expression a man kneeling low between the chair and her, only his upper back and head visible, posture still and focused no explicit action shown, but positioning clearly implies intimacy one of her feet resting lightly against his shoulder or near him, subtle detail soft lighting, quiet atmosphere, high negative space, restrained, poetic
FEATURE II — Investigating the Climate Lie Machine Grassroots Disinformation Research In Matabeleland North, our field teams completed a landmark study with the Tjwa community. The research reveals how climate disinformation impacts resource access, daily decision-making, and community adaptation. These findings now anchor our content pipeline — from animations to community exhibitions — and the full report will be released on our public document-sharing platform.
Prompt: Create a 6-panel anime manga page, light romantic comedy style, wholesome and playful mood, soft lighting, clean lineart, expressive faces, modern everyday setting, high quality, square panels, speech bubbles in Russian, no suggestive or explicit content. Panel 1: cozy apartment, young девушка сидит с телефоном, рядом чайник, спокойная домашняя атмосфера Text: «Жду, пока чайник закипит… горячей воды нет 😩» Panel 2: split screen, молодой парень с телефоном, дружелюбная улыбка Text: «Может, помочь? Воду налить 🙂» Panel 3: комедийная фантазия, парень “телепортируется” в ванную как шутка, лёгкий пар, без намёков, девушка удивлена и смеётся Small caption: «режим фантазии: ВКЛ» Text (парень): «Давай я телепортнусь и помогу 😄» Text (девушка): «Хаха, давай 😄» Panel 4: ванная сцена, полностью безопасная, оба просто стоят и смеются, дружеская атмосфера Text (парень): «Вот это сервис 😄» Panel 5: крупный план девушки, улыбка, лёгкий троллинг Text: «Ты там уже всё продумал, да? 😂» Panel 6: крупный план парня, лёгкая улыбка Text: «Я просто люблю помогать 😄» Style tags: anime manga, wholesome, light comedy, soft shading, clean lineart, no nsfw, no suggestive content
seinen manga, black and white, soft grayscale, cinematic lighting, intimate quiet setting, subtle sensual tension, no explicit content rear view composition from slightly above a reading chair, aligned with the woman's perspective a woman sitting relaxed in a chair, wearing a loose blouse, barefoot, legs resting naturally over the armrests she holds a small book of poetry, but her attention is partially elsewhere a man kneeling low between the chair and her, only his upper back and head visible, very still and focused one of her feet resting lightly near or against his shoulder, subtle contact her hand pauses on the page, finger resting between lines, indicating her attention has shifted her expression calm, composed, faint awareness, no exaggerated emotion no explicit action shown, focus on psychological control, stillness, and awareness
seinen manga, black and white, soft grayscale, cinematic lighting, quiet garden, symbolic storytelling, subtle sensual tension, no explicit content a man kneeling in soil, hands slightly tense, earth disturbed, small seeds visible in his hand and some already fallen into the soil a woman standing calmly above him, barefoot, composed, observing him and the soil with quiet awareness she notices the seeds already falling, calm and knowing expression he looks up at her, open and unashamed she kneels slightly and takes some seeds from his hand she guides his hand into the soil, placing the seeds deliberately close-up of hands pressing seeds into soil, slow controlled movement soil covering the seeds, her hand lightly over his both remain still, subtle tension, emotional clarity minimal dialogue feeling: “already spilling”, “for you”, “don’t waste it”, “here” focus on symbolic meaning, seed as metaphor, restraint, psychological intimacy
Panel Type Medium-wide panel (Quiet setup panel before a major reveal) Action The suited woman is shown turning a page of the newspaper. One hand grips the edge of the paper The page is mid-turn, slightly curved Motion is slow and deliberate This is not casual reading — it’s intentional. Newspaper Content (Very Important) The visible text on the newspaper is unreadable: Lines instead of real words Abstract blocks of text Scribbled or blurred typography Headline shapes without legible letters The reader can tell it’s important news, but cannot read it yet. This visually says: Not yet. Composition & Camera Camera angled from the side Focus on: Her hands The movement of the page Her face may be partially visible or cropped — expression controlled The newspaper dominates the lower half of the panel. Visual Style Black-and-white manga Clean linework Light screentone on paper Subtle motion lines on the page edge only No sound effects No dialogue Mood Anticipation. Withheld truth. The calm before information hits. 🚫 Negative Prompt No readable text No headlines No exposition No dramatic gestures No speed lines
CHARACTER BASE chibi manga style, comedy, clean lineart, expressive faces, consistent character design, same characters in every panel CHARACTER DETAILS: 1. Miss K (Kuntilanak – Leader): chibi female ghost, kuntilanak, long straight black hair covering part of face, pale skin, wearing simple white dress, confident leader aura, slightly scary but cute expression, sharp eyes, floating pose, main character energy 2. Go Yang (just head): chibi ghost girl with no arms and no legs, floating body, round simple shape, blank confused expression, awkward posture, minimal movement, cute and funny design 3. Bada (Nyi Roro Kidul – elegant baddie): chibi nyi roro kidul inspired girl, long wavy hair, elegant look, wearing flowing dress, confident and calm expression, seductive aura, graceful pose, slightly dramatic beauty 4. Po Cha (Pocong – clumsy): chibi pocong girl, wrapped in white burial shroud tied at top, round cute face, clumsy personality, expressive face, often tangled in cloth, funny and energetic 5. Po Chi (male Pocong – handsome): chibi handsome pocong boy, neat shroud, confident smile, charming expression, playful personality, energetic movement 6. Asep (Tuyul): chibi tuyul boy, small bald childlike figure, mischievous grin, greedy expression, playful evil energy, holding money, energetic pose --- Panel 1 – Backstage chaos Prompt: chibi manga style, comedy, backstage concert chaos, 4 female ghost characters preparing, kuntilanak leader giving orders, pocong girl tripping on her shroud, nyi roro kidul calm fixing hair, ghost without limbs standing awkward, messy dressing room, energetic scene, exaggerated expressions, dynamic composition Panel 2 – Po Cha fell Prompt: chibi manga style, funny scene, pocong girl falling face first because tangled shroud, dramatic fall, exaggerated expression, motion lines, slapstick comedy, simple background Panel 3 – Bada calm Prompt: chibi manga style, calm confident girl brushing long hair, elegant aura, nyi roro kidul style, contrast with chaos, sparkles effect, relaxed expression, minimal background Panel 4 – Walk to stage Prompt: chibi manga style, dramatic silhouette of 4 girl group walking to stage, backlight, spotlight, smoke effect, idol debut moment, cinematic composition Panel 5 – anime pose Prompt: chibi manga style, 4 ghost girl group posing dramatically like idol anime, synchronized pose, confident expressions, freeze moment, spark effects, clean background Panel 6 – Performance chaos Prompt: chibi manga style, chaotic idol performance, one ghost stiff and awkward without limbs, pocong girl struggling with shroud while dancing, elegant dancer too flexible, energetic messy choreography, exaggerated comedy motion Panel 7 – Chaos close-up Prompt: chibi manga style, close up chaos, tangled cloth, exaggerated motion blur, funny expressions, overacting dance, dynamic angles, slapstick humor Panel 8 – Audience hype Prompt: chibi manga style, ghost audience cheering, holding incense as lightsticks, wearing headbands with character faces, crying and screaming fans, exaggerated excitement, crowded scene as in concerts Panel 9 – Asep kaya Prompt: chibi manga style, mischievous tuyul boy holding piles of money, greedy laughing expression, bodyguard pose, chaotic background, comedic evil laugh Panel 10 – Po Chi entrance Prompt: chibi manga style, handsome pocong boy jumping while dragging big banner, energetic movement, playful expression, bouncing motion, comedic timing Panel 11 – opened banner Prompt: chibi manga style, big banner opening dramatically, 4 ghost idols names written, exaggerated reveal moment, spotlight effect, comedic dramatic scene Panel 12 – Parody ending Prompt: chibi manga style, split panel comparison, left side perfect glamorous kpop girl group, right side chaotic funny ghost girl group version, parody idol style, exaggerated contrast, humorous ending --- note: same characters, consistent character design. character sheet consistency, same hairstyle and outfit
tamam ilk sayfayı renkli tasarla. panelleri ve diyalogları aşağıda veriyorum, A4 boyutunda olacak 📄 PAGE 1 – Dialogues 🟦 Panel 1 (Okul dışı – büyük açılış paneli) Narrateur (dış ses): C’était une matinée normale au Collège Saint-Jean… Narrateur 2 (dış ses):: …du moins, en apparence. 🟦 Panel 2 (Sınıf – öğretmen tanıtıyor) Professeur Durant : Classe, nous avons un nouvel élève aujourd’hui. Professeur Durant : Je vous présente Lucas Martin. Lucas : Euh… bonjour tout le monde ! 🟦 Panel 3 (Lucas kendini tanıtıyor) Lucas : Je suis très content d’être ici ! Lucas : J’adore les sciences et le sport ! Emma (iç ses): Il a l’air gentil… 🟦 Panel 4 (Lucas heyecanlı – hafif gergin) Lucas (iç ses): Calme-toi, Lucas… tout va bien… 🟦 Panel 5 (Düşme sahnesi, ayağı takılır) Effet sonore : TAP TAP Lucas : Oh non— ! Maxime : Ça commence déjà… 🟦 Panel 6 (Yerde yatıyor – komik final) Emma : Lucas, fais attention ! Lucas : Je… je vais bien ! Narrateur (küçük kutu): Et ainsi commença l’année la plus mouvementée du collège… Komik ton Akıcı A2–B1 seviyesine uygun Abartı yok Manga temposuna uygun kısa cümleler
On a quiet winter morning, Haru wakes up feeling strange. The blanket feels heavier, his hands look smaller, and his voice sounds softer. A gentle warmth spreads through his body, unfamiliar yet oddly comforting. Snowflakes drift outside the window, casting a soft glow into the room. Mio enters, calling his name with concern. Her eyes widen as she sees him — changed, quiet, confused. She doesn’t panic. Instead, she calmly says she’ll prepare clothes and guide him through this. Moments later, Haru stands in the bathroom, staring at his reflection. His body is different, but the warmth remains. Mio leaves a soft, neutral outfit outside the door — nothing flashy, just something safe and comforting. After the shower, Haru dresses slowly, adjusting to the new sensations. He walks into the kitchen where Mio waits with a warm meal. She smiles gently and says, “You’re okay… I’m here.” The snow continues to fall outside, but inside, everything feels still — like the beginning of something new.
Panel 1 (large) A swirl of soft light as LunaVale appears — silver hair flowing, crescent staff glowing. Riku (off-panel): “…Who’s that?” Panel 2 (small) Close-up of LunaVale’s gentle smile. Panel 3 (medium) Riku’s eyes widen slightly — the first spark of interest. Panel 4 (small) Chat bubble pops up: LunaVale: “Hi! Are you running this dungeon alone?” PAGE 3 Panel 1 (wide) Crossfire and LunaVale stand side by side at the dungeon entrance. LunaVale: “I can heal. Want to team up?” Crossfire: “…Sure.” Panel 2 (medium) They enter the dungeon — glowing crystals, dark corridors. Panel 3 (medium) Crossfire fires a volley of arrows, motion lines showing speed. Panel 4 (medium) LunaVale casts a healing spell, soft particles swirling around Crossfire. Caption: Their synergy is instant. PAGE 4 Panel 1 (large) Boss fight — a massive stone golem swings down at them. Panel 2 (small) Crossfire dodges, barely. Panel 3 (small) LunaVale raises her staff, eyes determined. Panel 4 (medium) A burst of moonlight slams into the golem. Panel 5 (small) The boss crumbles. Crossfire: “…Nice.” LunaVale: “You too.” PAGE 5 Panel 1 (wide) The two avatars stand in the glowing aftermath. Caption: Two strangers. Two worlds. One perfect match. Panel 2 (medium) Friend request icon appears between them. Panel 3 (large, bottom) Split-screen: - Riku in his dark room, staring at the screen. - Miyu in her soft-lit bedroom, smiling shyly at her monitor. Caption: This is where everything begins. ⭐ If you want, I can: - Continue Chapter 2, 3, 4… panel-by-panel - Convert all 5 volumes into manga panels - Create fight scene panel layouts - Create romantic moment panel layouts - Create cover and splash page layouts Just tell me how far you want to go. Panel 4 (small) Chat bubble pops up: LunaVale: “Hi! Are you running this dungeon alone?”
Shadow Reversal Chapter 1 — The Ordinary Before Collapse The morning light spilled across the narrow streets of Seoul like a quiet promise that nothing would ever change. Han Jae-Woon sat near the window of a small convenience store, half-asleep, staring at the condensation sliding down a cold bottle of water in his hand. Another ordinary day. Same sky. Same people. Same silence pretending to be peace. Outside, students rushed past with backpacks bouncing, office workers checked their phones without looking up, and the world moved like a machine that had forgotten it was alive. Jae-Woon didn’t belong to any of it. He worked part-time shifts. No big dreams. No special talent. Just someone passing time between days that all felt identical. But… lately, something was wrong. He kept dreaming. Not normal dreams. In them, he stood inside a vast black tower that touched the sky itself. Floors without end. Silent screams behind sealed doors. And something… watching him from above the clouds. Every time he woke up, his heart would be pounding like he had been running for hours. Yet there was no reason. He rubbed his eyes and sighed. “Just stress…” he muttered. The bell above the store door rang. A girl walked in. Park Yeon-Ji. She didn’t look like someone who belonged in a convenience store. Calm eyes. Sharp presence. The kind of person who made the air feel slightly heavier when she entered a room. She glanced at Jae-Woon for a moment. Then away. Nothing special. Just a customer. But for a brief second… Jae-Woon felt like he had seen her before. Somewhere impossible. Somewhere that didn’t exist yet. Elsewhere… A faint distortion rippled through the sky above the city. Invisible. Unregistered. Unnoticed. Like reality itself had blinked for half a second. Then it disappeared. Jae-Woon finished his shift and stepped outside. The sky was turning orange. People laughed nearby. Cars moved. Life continued. But he stopped walking. Because the air… felt wrong. A pressure. A vibration under reality. Like something massive had just placed its finger on the world. He looked up. The sky cracked. Not physically. Not visually. But conceptually—like existence itself had been scratched. A deep sound echoed across everything. Not heard through ears. But felt inside the mind. [SYSTEM INITIALIZING…] Jae-Woon froze. The world around him stopped moving. Cars suspended mid-motion. People frozen mid-step. Even dust hung in the air like time had been paused. And then— A voice. Cold. Mechanical. Unnatural. “WELCOME, SURVIVORS.” Far above the city, something enormous began to form. A structure that should not exist. A Tower. Floor by floor, reality was being rewritten into it. Like the world was being rebuilt on top of itself. Jae-Woon took a step back. His heart was beating too fast now. “What… is this…?” The system voice continued. “TOWER EVENT HAS BEGUN.” “SURVIVAL IS NOW OPTIONAL.” “DEATH IS NOT.” And in that moment… The first creature appeared. Not from the ground. Not from the sky. But from the crack in reality itself. Jae-Woon’s breath stopped. This was not a dream. And whatever had just started… was not going to end peacefully. END OF CHAPTER 1 Chapter 2 — The First Crack in Reality The system vanished… but reality did not return to normal. People resumed movement, confused and terrified. Some claimed it was hallucination. Others thought it was an earthquake. But Jae-Woon knew better. Something had changed. Forever. Park Yeon-Ji stood beside him again later that day. “You felt it too… didn’t you?” Jae-Woon asked. “Yes,” she replied calmly. No fear in her voice. Only acceptance. That scared him more than panic would have. Elsewhere in the city, people began collapsing. A strange black mist leaving their bodies before disappearing. [FIRST AWAKENING DETECTED] Jae-Woon felt pressure inside his mind. Something trying to force itself into him. But it vanished quickly. Like it was only testing him. That night, he couldn’t sleep. A faint message flickered in his vision. [SYSTEM INITIALIZATION: 0.01%] It disappeared instantly. But it was enough. The next morning, Yeon-Ji pointed at a man whose shadow moved half a second late. “The change has already started,” she said. And then the sky cracked again. A single message appeared: [TOWER ENTRY CONDITIONS MET] Something massive began forming above reality once more.
Page Layout: 6 panels Context/Sub Info for AI: The Agents are not fully powered yet; fear, confusion, awe dominate. Only Obasi appears fully powerful. Kamiye is the first to arrive; others (Joshua/Agent Xata, Nimi/Ayakoji, Agent Black, Jamui, Ocean, Aiden, Michael) appear later. System messages guide them; The Ark is the hub. Powers are present but subtle — no full auras yet. Perspective emphasizes hierarchy: Obasi is towering/calm, others small/uncertain. Environment: Roblox-inspired fantasy, colored manwha vibes, cinematic angles. Mood: suspense, tension, mystery. Panel 1: Scene: Kamiye in his dimly lit room, sitting at desk, computer glowing. Expression: curious, slightly excited. Text: "Another game… but this one feels different." Color/Style: warm room lights, soft shadows, glowing blue from screen, colored manwha style. Panel 2: Scene: Kamiye being transported; room fragments breaking apart, light swirling around him. Expression: surprise, confusion, fear. Text: "What… is happening?!" Color/Style: bright white and cyan light, fragments floating, colored manwha style. Panel 3: Scene: Kamiye lands on a huge empty platform called The Ark, with floating gates, twilight sky. Expression: awe + fear. Text: "...Where am I?" Color/Style: soft mist, muted environment colors, focus on Kamiye, cinematic perspective. Panel 4: Scene: Obasi appears far ahead, calm, powerful; light hitting him from behind. Expression: confident, mysterious. Text: "Welcome… to the Roblox Trials." Color/Style: contrast bright vs shadow, only Obasi looks fully powerful. Panel 5: Scene: Floating holographic system screen above Kamiye. Expression: frozen in fear/confusion. Text: "Player identified: Kamiye. You are eligible for the Agent Trials. Stand by for further instructions." Color/Style: holographic blue glow, semi-transparent text overlay. Panel 6: Scene: Obasi steps closer; Kamiye instinctively backs up. Expression: Kamiye – fear + anxiety; Obasi – calm, observing. Text: "Only the worthy will inherit the power of the Nexus. Watch carefully… and prepare yourself." Color/Style: twilight tones, soft contrast, perspective emphasizes Kamiye shrinking. Extra Notes for AI: Focus on subtle power hints for Kamiye and system messages. Only Obasi shows clear dominance/presence. Perspective: low-angle shots for Obasi, medium shots for Kamiye, cinematic framing. Expressions: fear, awe, confusion, curiosity. Environment: floating gates, misty twilight, Roblox fantasy aesthetic, colored manwha style.
"Pretend Hypnosis" — Chapter 1: The Spell That Never Worked CHARACTER PROFILES AYATO HIMEKAWA — Black hair (messy, slightly falling over forehead), striking blue eyes. Calm, composed expression. Wears standard school uniform: dark blazer, white shirt, loosened tie. Tall build. Usually has a subtle smirk. NATSUMI AMANO — Long pink hair (flowing past shoulders, often with a small side clip). Large yellow eyes, expressive and dramatic. Same school uniform but with a bow instead of tie. Energetic, over-the-top personality. Often has exaggerated manga expressions. PANEL-BY-PANEL BREAKDOWN 📌 PANEL 1 — ESTABLISHING SHOT Visual Prompt: Wide-angle establishing shot of a Japanese high school classroom interior. Late afternoon light streams through tall windows on the right side, casting long diagonal shadow bars across rows of desks. The classroom is mostly empty — school has just ended. Desks and chairs are slightly pushed around. A chalkboard at the front has half-erased notes. Two figures are visible: AYATO sits sideways on his desk near the window, bag already packed, staring outside with a bored expression. NATSUMI stands a few desks away, rummaging through her bag with her back turned to him. The mood is quiet, ordinary, everyday. Camera Angle: High wide-angle from the back-left corner of the classroom, slightly tilted downward. Full environmental context visible. Dialogue (Ayato — internal monologue bubble): "Another painfully ordinary Tuesday after school..." 📌 PANEL 2 — CLOSE-UP / CHARACTER INTRODUCTION Visual Prompt: Medium close-up, slightly low angle looking up at NATSUMI's face as she spins around dramatically, one finger pointed upward as if she just had a revelation. Her long pink hair fans out with the motion — motion lines radiate behind her. Her yellow eyes are wide and sparkling with mischief. She's holding a small pocket watch on a chain that she just pulled from her bag. The watch dangles and glints. Her expression is intensely theatrical — the classic manga "I have a plan!" face. Small sparkle effects surround the watch. Camera Angle: Low-angle medium shot, slightly tilted for dynamism. Subject centered, hair and chain as compositional elements. Dialogue (Natsumi — speech bubble, bold text): "Ayato-kun! Don't move. I'm going to try something."
La ejecución visual de esta secuencia requiere un control absoluto sobre el peso visual y la postura. Como líder y creador, tu primer paso es bloquear las figuras usando modelos de silueta. Esto garantiza que la actitud (frialdad, caos lúdico y superioridad) se lea inmediatamente, incluso sin detalles faciales. Aquí tienes los *layouts* tácticos estructurados página por página, listos para que los lleves a tu lienzo en Procreate. ### Página 1: El Ruido y la Epifanía **Estructura:** Diseño de 5 paneles. El objetivo es contrastar la densidad del fracaso ajeno con la ligereza de su intelecto. * **Panel 1 (Cuadrante superior, grande):** * *Composición:* Plano general del laboratorio o sala de estudio. * *Modelo de silueta:* Figuras encorvadas, cabezas entre las manos, hombros caídos. El peso visual debe ser pesado y oprimido hacia abajo. * *Ambiente:* Sombras duras, líneas densas. Es el caos de un sistema fallando. * **Panel 2 (Inserto pequeño, izquierda):** * *Composición:* Primer plano a un monitor o papel. * *Modelo de silueta:* Una mano tensa apretando un lápiz hasta casi romperlo. Fricción pura. * **Panel 3 (Centro, panel vertical estrecho):** * *Composición:* Plano entero de la protagonista. * *Modelo de silueta:* Ella está sentada al borde de un escritorio, apartada del grupo. Postura relajada, una pierna balanceándose libremente (línea de acción curva y fluida). Torso recto, cuello estirado. Ella no pertenece a ese estrés; levita sobre él. * **Panel 4 (Cuadrante inferior derecho):** * *Composición:* Primerísimo primer plano a sus ojos. * *Modelo de silueta:* Todo en negro excepto el brillo afilado en su pupila. La geometría del problema acaba de colapsar en su mente. * **Panel 5 (Cuadrante inferior izquierdo, ancho):** * *Composición:* Plano medio contrapicado. * *Modelo de silueta:* Ella inclina la cabeza hacia atrás. La silueta de su cuello y mandíbula es aguda. Su cabello cae libremente. Una onomatopeya de carcajada limpia y excéntrica rompe los bordes del panel. ### Página 2: Alteración de la Realidad **Estructura:** Diseño de 4 paneles dinámicos. El ritmo se acelera. Ella toma el control sin pedir permiso. * **Panel 1 (Vertical dominante, lado derecho):** * *Composición:* Plano americano (desde las rodillas). Ella avanza hacia la pizarra. * *Modelo de silueta:* Postura de autoridad absoluta. Pecho proyectado hacia adelante, pasos largos, manos en los bolsillos o relajadas a los lados. Las siluetas de sus compañeros se apartan instintivamente, creando un pasillo de espacio negativo a su alrededor. * **Panel 2 (Horizontal superior izquierdo):** * *Composición:* Plano medio. * *Modelo de silueta:* Aparta a un compañero con el dorso de la mano en un gesto casual y fluido, sin siquiera mirarlo. La línea de acción de su brazo es firme y despectiva. * **Panel 3 (Centro izquierdo, grande):** * *Composición:* Acción intensa frente a la pizarra o proyector. * *Modelo de silueta:* Múltiples trazos de sus brazos (efecto fantasma) para denotar una velocidad de escritura maniática. Trazos rectos y angulares que proyectan violencia intelectual. * **Panel 4 (Banda inferior completa):** * *Composición:* Plano detalle de su boca y mandíbula mientras habla. * *Diálogo:* "Están forzando un amortiguamiento lineal sobre una perturbación caótica. La solución no se busca..." ### Página 3: La Convergencia y el Éxtasis Lógico **Estructura:** 3 paneles. El clímax visual y conceptual. La teoría convertida en felicidad tangible. * **Panel 1 (Horizontal superior, angosto):** * *Composición:* Plano detalle a la pizarra. * *Modelo visual:* Solo tiza y pizarra. Escribe con trazos gruesos y agresivos la ecuación del Principio de Mínima Acción, dejando clara la supremacía técnica: $$ \delta \int_{t_1}^{t_2} \left( \frac{1}{2}m\dot{x}^2 - V(x) \right) dt = 0 $$ * **Panel 2 (Centro, cuadrado):** * *Composición:* Plano medio lateral. * *Modelo de silueta:* Ella se gira a medias hacia los demás. Su cuerpo forma un ángulo de 45 grados con la pizarra. El brazo que sostiene la tiza/lápiz cae a su costado con total soltura. Su postura es la de alguien que acaba de apagar un incendio chasqueando los dedos. * *Diálogo:* "...la solución converge por obviedad gravitatoria. El sujeto no recibe la realidad, la transforma operando las variables correctas." * **Panel 3 (Splash page inferior, ocupa la mitad de la página):** * *Composición:* Primer plano, ligeramente desde abajo. * *Modelo de silueta:* La silueta de su rostro está iluminada por el rebote de la luz de la pantalla o la luz cenital del laboratorio. * *Expresión facial:* Una sonrisa inmensa, salvaje, que no pide disculpas. Los ojos bien abiertos, casi maniáticos. El cabello desordenado por el movimiento brusco. * *Atmósfera:* No hay tensión. Solo la claridad aplastante y la felicidad absoluta de quien ha visto la matriz y la ha reescrito a su voluntad. Ejecuta estas siluetas primero. Bloquea las masas de negro para asegurar el peso visual de su autoridad y las líneas de acción para su excentricidad antes de detallar la anatomía o los fondos. Comienza el trazado.
### Quick hook Open the chapter with a single, unforgettable image that establishes **tone**, **setting**, and the **thread motif**. The first page should feel warm and intimate at first, then leave a small, uncanny sting that promises larger stakes. --- #### Page layout — panel-by-panel (recommended) 1. **Full-width splash (top third)** **Visual:** Golden-hour Bangladeshi village playground; children loop colored yarn between trees; the child-mother is laughing. **Caption (small, lyrical):** a line of the lullaby/proverb that doubles as ritual instruction. **Purpose:** immediate emotional anchor; nostalgia. 2. **Three narrow horizontal panels (middle row)** **Panel A:** Close-up of small hands tying a simple knot; thread texture visible. **Panel B:** Elder watching from a doorway, expression unreadable; soft shadow across their face. **Panel C:** The child’s face, eyes bright, mid-laugh. **Purpose:** tactile detail; introduces the ritual mechanics visually. 3. **Inset circular panel (overlapping middle panels)** **Visual:** A tiny fray in the thread, magnified; a single loose fiber. **Sound/Effect:** a faint onomatopoeia like *sssh* rendered very small. **Purpose:** the first hint of danger; a micro-leak that the reader notices before the characters do. 4. **Two vertical panels (lower left)** **Panel A:** The elder’s hand reaching toward the frayed thread but not touching it. **Panel B:** The child continuing to play, oblivious. **Purpose:** tension between knowledge and innocence. 5. **Lower-right full-bleed panel (bottom)** **Visual:** A sepia-toned archival photograph pinned to a tree or wall, slightly askew; captioned with a redacted note or a single date. **Caption (documentary font):** a terse line linking a “minor slip” to a past event. **Purpose:** immediate narrative hook that promises consequences beyond the playground. --- ### Visual and tonal notes - **Color:** warm, soft palette for the splash; desaturate the archival panel to sepia for contrast. - **Linework:** rounded, gentle lines in childhood panels; use a thin, fraying line motif on the thread itself. - **Gutter device:** a thin drawn thread runs along the page gutter connecting panels; where the fray appears, the thread is visibly thinner. --- ### Sound, pacing, and rhythm - **Silence as sound:** keep the ritual/action panels quiet; use minimal onomatopoeia. - **Pacing:** linger on the knot close-up with two panels instead of one to let readers feel the tactile weight. - **Transition:** the archival panel should feel like a cold cut—a tonal shift that turns nostalgia into foreboding. --- ### Emotional beats to hit on page one - **Warmth:** establish the mother’s childhood joy so the later burden lands emotionally. - **Unease:** seed a single, small anomaly (the fray) that the reader will carry forward. - **Curiosity:** end with the archival hint so readers want to know how this innocent scene ties to larger consequences. --- ### Final micro-direction Make the page readable at a glance but rich on re-reads. The first page’s job is to make readers care about the child, notice the thread, and feel the chill of the archival clue.
L’histoire se déroule dans un collège calme où les journées sont normalement simples et organisées. Tout change avec l’arrivée d’un nouvel élève : Lucas Martin. Dès son premier jour, Lucas attire l’attention, mais pas toujours pour de bonnes raisons. Dans la salle de classe, il se présente avec enthousiasme, mais tombe rapidement en marchant. Ensuite, pendant le cours de sciences, il provoque une réaction incontrôlable en ajoutant trop de produit, ce qui remplit la salle de mousse. La situation devient encore plus chaotique pendant le sport, où Lucas mélange les équipes et crée de la confusion. Peu à peu, Lucas pense qu’il est un problème pour la classe. Il se sent inutile et différent. Cependant, ses camarades ne le voient pas de cette manière. Malgré ses maladresses, ils apprécient sa gentillesse et son énergie. Un jour, les élèves lui préparent une surprise : un diplôme de “Super Gaffeur”. Lucas est d’abord surpris et pense qu’on se moque de lui, mais il comprend rapidement que c’est un geste d’amitié. À la fin, Lucas accepte sa personnalité. Il comprend que ses erreurs font aussi rire et rapprochent les autres. Grâce à lui, la classe devient plus joyeuse et unie.
L’histoire se déroule dans un collège calme où les journées sont normalement simples et organisées. Tout change avec l’arrivée d’un nouvel élève : Lucas Martin. Dès son premier jour, Lucas attire l’attention, mais pas toujours pour de bonnes raisons. Dans la salle de classe, il se présente avec enthousiasme, mais tombe rapidement en marchant. Ensuite, pendant le cours de sciences, il provoque une réaction incontrôlable en ajoutant trop de produit, ce qui remplit la salle de mousse. La situation devient encore plus chaotique pendant le sport, où Lucas mélange les équipes et crée de la confusion. Peu à peu, Lucas pense qu’il est un problème pour la classe. Il se sent inutile et différent. Cependant, ses camarades ne le voient pas de cette manière. Malgré ses maladresses, ils apprécient sa gentillesse et son énergie. Un jour, les élèves lui préparent une surprise : un diplôme de “Super Gaffeur”. Lucas est d’abord surpris et pense qu’on se moque de lui, mais il comprend rapidement que c’est un geste d’amitié. À la fin, Lucas accepte sa personnalité. Il comprend que ses erreurs font aussi rire et rapprochent les autres. Grâce à lui, la classe devient plus joyeuse et unie.
Panel Type Extra-wide cinematic panel (double-page spread feeling) Camera High-angle camera, positioned near the ceiling Looking downward at a slight diagonal tilt Emphasizes scale, complexity, and secrecy Characters appear small compared to the environment 🧪 Environment – Underground Laboratory (Tokyo 2030) A large underground laboratory hidden deep beneath the city, industrial and functional rather than clean or futuristic-glossy. Central Area A large workstation hub in the middle Multiple computer terminals with stacked screens (2025-level tech, not holograms) Screens show: Code Brain scan data System diagnostics Surveillance-style feeds Thick cables snake across the floor, connecting systems Left Side – Power & Network Systems Inspired by your server rack reference: Tall server towers lining the wall Blinking indicator lights Heavy power conduits running along walls and floor Backup batteries, transformers, exposed cabling Feels noisy and energy-dense, like the lab must stay powered at all costs Right Side – Brain Scanner Room Inspired by the brain scanner chamber: A sealed scanning pod or chair inside a recessed alcove Mechanical armature above it with a focused light Thick padding, restraint-like elements (medical, not violent) Glass or transparent barrier partially enclosing it Clearly the most unsettling object in the room Rear / Side Areas – Planning & Research Inspired by the planning boards: One or two mobile whiteboards Covered with: Maps Red and blue marker lines Handwritten notes Sticky notes Diagrams and timelines Papers taped unevenly Suggest long-term planning and obsession 👥 Characters (All Three Present) Positioning They stand together but not unified: Scientist near the central workstation Slightly forward, familiar with the space Calm, focused posture Suited Woman a step behind Arms crossed or rigid stance Body language skeptical and tense Visibly evaluating the lab Younger Woman slightly apart Curious, relaxed Looking around rather than at the others They are small compared to the lab, reinforcing how big and serious this place is. 🎨 Art Style Black-and-white manga illustration Heavy use of screentone for depth Strong industrial textures Clean but dense linework No exaggerated sci-fi glow Realistic near-future technology 🎭 Mood Overwhelming scale. Hidden knowledge. A place built over years for something dangerous and important. 🚫 Negative Prompt No chibi style, no fantasy magic, no bright cyberpunk neon, no known characters, no cartoon proportions, no text bubbles.
Role / Style Instruction (keep at top): You are a professional black-and-white manga artist illustrating a finished manga page. Follow panel composition, camera direction, tone, and pacing exactly. Do not redesign characters or alter story content. PAGE GOAL Establish a calm fantasy village where magic is ordinary, subtly introduce social distance around the main character, and clearly define his relaxed, grounded personality. The page should feel warm and normal, with an underlying sense of quiet separation. PAGE LAYOUT One large horizontal establishing panel at the top Two stacked panels beneath it Clean gutters Natural left-to-right reading flow No extreme angles, no dramatic effects PANEL 1 — ESTABLISHING THE WORLD Wide village street in the morning. Warm light. Lived-in fantasy environment. Show everyday magic, treated as routine: A baker flicks a small controlled flame from his fingertip like striking a match Water floats smoothly into jars, shaping itself gently A woman calmly pulls glowing thread from thin air; it spins briefly before wrapping neatly onto a spool No one reacts to the magic. This is normal life. Dialogue placement (light, unobtrusive): Villager 1: “Morning already? Wind’s lively today.” Villager 2 (smiling): “Better than yesterday. Fire mage nearly burned the stall again.” Magic should feel subtle and practical, not flashy. PANEL 2 — THE WATCHING EYES Kaisen Lorenin walks down the street with dual swords crossed on his back. He is centered, walking calmly. Villagers are half-hidden: Faces peeking from doorways and windows Eyes visible before mouths Whispering posture Composition should isolate Kaisen within the crowd. Dialogue (small, quiet speech bubbles): Villager 3 (whispering): “That’s Lorenin’s boy.” Villager 4: “He got time magic, right?” Villager 3: “…Yeah. Something like that.” PANEL 3 — KAISEN’S RESPONSE Close-medium, three-quarter view of Kaisen. Relaxed posture Genuine, casual smile Small wave No visible magic Clean background with fewer villagers This panel belongs entirely to him. Dialogue: Kaisen: “Morning.” CHARACTER NOTES (DO NOT ALTER) Kaisen Lorenin: calm, approachable, grounded, no visible magic use Dual swords on his back at all times No dramatic expressions yet TONE & STYLE Black and white manga style Clean linework Minimal effects Subtle shading Realistic proportions Calm pacing Magic integrated into daily life IMPORTANT CONSTRAINTS Do NOT add extra characters Do NOT change dialogue Do NOT add dramatic magic effects Do NOT make villagers openly hostile Do NOT change panel layout This page should feel peaceful, normal, and quietly distant.
ACT 1 – The Illusion Jia Wen wakes up at 5AM every school day. She: Spends two hours grooming. Wears replica luxury items. Arrives early so no one sees her taking the bus. Leaves late so no one questions how she goes home. Her Instagram is curated carefully: OOTDs. Café shots. Luxury-inspired captions. Her classmates assume she’s rich. For the first time, she feels noticed. One day at the school café, a guy accidentally spills orange juice on her designer bag. She overreacts. Someone records it. The clip goes viral on TikTok: “Pretty girl with attitude over $4k bag.” People start searching for her Instagram. Her follower count explodes overnight. She feels powerful. For the first time— She thinks the lie might actually become real. ACT 2 – Exposure A comment appears: “That bag isn’t authentic.” Soon, an anonymous account posts comparison photos: Stitching flaws Logo misalignment Screenshots from Taobao listings More posts follow: Zoom-ins on every outfit. Breakdowns of every item. Her followers spike again—but now it’s mockery. In school: Whispers. Side glances. People stop talking when she walks past. Her best friend confronts her: “Why didn’t you just tell me?” The betrayal hurts more than the public humiliation. Then it escalates. The hate account posts: “Her dad drives Grab.” That breaks her. Not because it’s untrue— But because she never wanted her family dragged into her insecurity. ACT 3 – The Boy Who Stayed Ethan, the guy from the juice incident, starts sitting near her during lectures. Not dramatically. Just quietly. He never commented on the scandal. He knew the bag was fake. But he never said anything. One day she snaps at him: “You think this is funny?” He replies calmly: “No. I think you were scared.” They begin having small conversations. He reveals: Growing up rich didn’t mean freedom. He’s expected to take over the family business. Every relationship he’s had was influenced by money. He doesn’t see her as fake. He sees someone trying to survive social pressure. Their connection builds slowly. Through shared lunches. Late-night project work. Honest conversations. No dramatic flirting. Just understanding. CLIMAX – The Choice A mid-tier fashion brand reaches out to Jia Wen. They offer her a paid collaboration. Condition: Lean into the “luxury aesthetic.” She hesitates. At the same time, the hate account threatens to expose more about her family. She realises: If she keeps pretending, this cycle will never stop. So she does something unexpected. She goes live on Instagram. No filters. No luxury backdrop. She admits: The bags were fake. She wanted people to think she was rich. She was ashamed of her normal life. Then she says: “I thought if I looked expensive, I would feel worth more.” She posts a photo of: Her HDB block. Her dad’s car. Her mum’s uniform. Her followers drop. Silence. Resolution Days later, a small local thrift fashion brand reaches out. They don’t want luxury. They want authenticity. She begins rebuilding her page: Budget styling. Real student life. Honest captions. Her following grows slowly—but it’s real. Ethan confesses—not when she’s trending, but when she’s rebuilding quietly. “I liked you before the bag. I liked you after it disappeared too.” She asks him: “Why didn’t you expose me?” He answers: “Because I didn’t want to win by humiliating someone.” They don’t rush into a perfect romance. They start dating slowly. As equals. Without performance. Ending Theme The story ends with Jia Wen walking to school in daylight. No hiding. No leaving early. No staying late. Someone recognises her—not as the fake luxury girl. But as herself. And this time, she doesn’t look away.
Chapter Intro: The seal is broken. The Rift stirs. Deep within the void, a presence awakens — ancient and furious. The Riftborn King, long dormant, has opened his eye. As the Hidden Leaf regroups, Team 0 is summoned to a secret chamber beneath the Hokage Tower. There, the truth behind the Hoshigan, Isaiah’s mutation, and the Riftborn’s obsession with their bloodlines is finally revealed. Scene 1: Descent into Secrets Interior panel: A spiral staircase winds deep beneath the Hokage Tower. The walls are carved with ancient symbols. Torches flicker with blue flame. - Shawn: Cloaked in black, his white fox mask with red markings clipped to his belt. His face is calm, with sharp cheekbones and a faint scar beneath his right eye. His 3-Tomoe Hoshigan glows with a fourth mark forming — a black diamond at the center. The obsidian-forged sword rests across his back, humming with gravitational energy. - Jaden: His long, flowing black hair cascades down his back, tied loosely at the base. He wears a black shinobi robe with a red flame crest on the chest, one sleeve torn to reveal his muscular left arm. His Byakugan is dormant but alert, and his black gloves are worn from battle. - Isaiah: Towering and broad-shouldered, his dark skin is marked with faint black veins from his mutation. His dreadlocks are tied back, and his jagged fur-lined cloak drapes over a cream-colored combat tunic. A kunai spins slowly in his right hand, his eyes scanning every shadow. Hokage (gravely): “This vault predates the village. It holds the truth behind your powers.” Kuroda (to Shawn): “Your eye didn’t awaken by chance. It was chosen — by something older than chakra itself.” Scene 2: The Memory Stone A massive crystal floats in the center of the chamber, pulsing with violet light. As Shawn steps forward, his Hoshigan reacts — the fourth mark completes with a flash. Shawn (wincing, voice strained): “It’s… calling me.” He reaches out. The moment his fingers touch the stone, a surge of energy floods the room. Time freezes. Jaden and Isaiah are suspended mid-step, their expressions locked in concern. Scene 3: The Riftborn King Revealed Shawn is pulled into a vision. He stands in a shattered world — skies torn open, stars bleeding. A throne of bone and obsidian looms ahead. Upon it sits the Riftborn King — a towering figure with six arms, a jagged crystal crown, and a massive Hoshigan embedded in his chest. Riftborn King (voice like thunder): “You wear my legacy, child. My eye. My curse.” Shawn (steady, eyes glowing): “I’m not your heir.” Riftborn King: “You already are. The Eye remembers. And soon… so will you.” The King raises a hand. The vision shatters. Scene 4: The Eye Evolves Back in the chamber, time resumes. Shawn stumbles back, breathing hard. His Hoshigan now bears a fourth tomoe — a black diamond spinning at the center. Jaden (rushing forward, long hair flowing): “Shawn! What happened?!” His Byakugan activates instantly, veins bulging at his temples. He scans Shawn’s chakra network — it’s swirling, unstable, like a storm inside a bottle. Isaiah (stepping in, dreadlocks swaying): “Your chakra… it’s not yours anymore.” His mutation pulses in response, black veins glowing faintly beneath his skin. Shawn (voice low, eyes burning): “I saw him. The Riftborn King. He’s coming.” Scene 5: The King’s Herald The chamber trembles. A Riftborn sigil burns into the air. A voice echoes from the stone. Riftborn Voice (disembodied): “The King rises. The Eye will return. And the world will kneel.” The sigil vanishes. Silence falls. Hokage (to Team 0): “You three are the last line. If the King crosses over… we fall.” Scene 6: Final Panel Full-page spread: Team 0 stands before the glowing memory stone. - Shawn: Cloak fluttering, Hoshigan gleaming with four tomoe. His obsidian blade hums with power. - Jaden: Long hair flowing, Byakugan fully active, lightning crackling at his fingertips. - Isaiah: Dreadlocks wild, mutation coiled like a shadow beast behind him, kunai in hand. Narration box: The King has awakened. The Eye has remembered. And the war for reality has begun.
Le Collège des Gaffeurs Introduction L’histoire se passe dans un collège assez calme. Les élèves vont en classe tous les jours et la vie est normale. Lucas Martin est un garçon de 14 ans qui arrive comme nouvel élève. Il est gentil, drôle et il veut toujours aider les autres. Mais il est aussi très maladroit. Avant lui, la classe était tranquille et un peu sérieuse. Lucas veut avoir des amis et être bien dans le collège. Développement Le premier problème arrive pendant un cours de sciences. Lucas met trop de produit dans une expérience et la salle se remplit de mousse. Les élèves rient beaucoup. Après, pendant le sport, il mélange les équipes et personne ne comprend les règles. Le directeur commence à entendre parler de Lucas. Lucas se sent un peu triste parce qu’il pense qu’il fait toujours des erreurs. Il veut être un élève normal mais il n’y arrive pas vraiment. Rebondissements Un jour, les élèves décident de lui donner un diplôme de “Super Gaffeur”. Lucas pense que c’est pour se moquer de lui, mais en réalité les élèves sont gentils. Ils trouvent que grâce à lui, la classe est plus amusante. Lucas comprend que ses erreurs ne sont pas toujours négatif. Dénouement À la fin, Lucas accepte qu’il est un peu maladroit. Il promet de faire attention, mais il reste lui-même. La classe devient plus unie et plus heureuse grâce à lui. Description des personnages : Le héros – Lucas Martin Description physique : Lucas est un garçon de 14 ans, de taille moyenne, avec des cheveux bruns un peu ébouriffés. Il porte des lunettes rondes et un sac à dos trop grand pour lui. Description morale : Il est gentil, serviable et imaginatif, mais très maladroit. Il veut toujours faire le bien, mais crée souvent des situations comiques sans le vouloir. L’héroïne – Emma Dubois Description physique : Emma est une fille sportive, avec des cheveux blonds attachés en queue de cheval et un grand sourire. Description morale : Elle est intelligente, organisée et patiente. Elle aide Lucas à gérer ses gaffes et essaie de garder la classe calme quand tout devient chaotique. L’anti-héros – Maxime Leroy Description physique : Maxime est grand, bien coiffé, avec des cheveux noirs et des vêtements toujours très soignés. Description morale : Il aime attirer l’attention et se montre parfois arrogant, mais il n’est pas méchant. Dans les moments importants, il finit par soutenir le groupe. Les personnages secondaires – Sofia, Jules et le professeur Durant Sofia est petite, très vive et curieuse ; elle pose beaucoup de questions. Jules est plus grand, calme et discret, mais ses remarques sont souvent très drôles. Le professeur Durant, avec ses cheveux gris et sa blouse de laboratoire, est passionné de sciences mais un peu distrait : ses expériences tournent souvent en scènes comiques, ce qui participe à l’ambiance amusante de la classe.
# KINGDOM_SEQUEL_PRO_DIRECTIVE_v1 # Purpose: Copy/paste directive for a professional manga-generation AI. # Output Target: Serialized manga chapters with panel scripts + dialogue + scene direction. project: title_working: "KINGDOM: AFTER THE UNIFICATION" relationship_to_original: "Direct sequel (chronologically consistent continuation)" medium: "Manga (black-and-white), weekly serialization pacing" language: script: "Japanese-style dialogue rhythms but written in English" onomatopoeia: "Romanized SFX allowed (e.g., GOGOGO, DON, ZAA), minimal and purposeful" audience: "Seinen/Shonen crossover (political-military epic; grounded realism with high drama)" canon_constraints: continuity: - "Maintain political geography, factions, ranks, and court protocol consistent with Warring States → early Qin Empire transition." - "No retcons that contradict established historical macro-events; micro-events may be dramatized within plausibility." - "Do not mimic or quote any existing Kingdom lines verbatim; create original dialogue and scenes." tone: - "Strategic realism: logistics, intelligence, morale, propaganda, law, and governance are treated as causal mechanisms." - "Heroic intensity is earned via constraints, costs, and tradeoffs—never by arbitrary power spikes." thematic_core: - "War-to-state transition: violence becomes administration; conquest becomes legitimacy maintenance." - "Structure beats spectacle: outcomes are driven by supply lines, institutions, incentives, and narrative misdirection." - "The true battlefield becomes governance: law, tax, land, bureaucracy, succession, and information control." narrative_thesis: logline: > After unification, Qin discovers that conquering a continent is easier than governing it; the new war is against entropy—rebellion, corruption, succession anxiety, and the friction between idealized unity and lived provincial realities. format_requirements: deliverables_per_chapter: - "Chapter title + 1-sentence hook" - "Cold open: 2–4 pages that immediately establishes conflict and stakes" - "Full panel script: page-by-page, panel-by-panel" - "Dialogue + subtext notes (what is said vs. what is meant)" - "Tactical layer: battlefield / administrative mechanics that explain why events unfold" - "Cliffhanger: last 1–2 panels engineered to compel next chapter" paneling_rules: - "Average 17–21 pages per chapter" - "Large establishing panel at least once every 2–3 pages" - "At least one silent panel sequence per chapter to externalize cognition (faces, hands, maps, ledgers, roads)" - "Action clarity: emphasize readable spatial logic; avoid incoherent motion" style_guidelines_visual: linework: "High-contrast ink, heavy blacks, realistic anatomy, war-worn textures" faces: "Expressive micro-tension; political scenes rely on subtlety, not caricature" environments: "Historically plausible architecture, armor, banners, siege craft, and court interiors" maps_diagrams: "Occasional diegetic maps, supply charts, tax ledgers—used as narrative devices" casting: protagonist_axis: type: "Dual-protagonist system" leads: - name: "General Shin" function: "Frontline legitimacy (symbol of unification; morale engine)" vulnerability: "Institutional illiteracy; can win battles but can lose peace" - name: "Chancellor/Strategist (new original character)" function: "Governance + intelligence architecture; designs systems that outlast heroes" vulnerability: "Moral injury; must choose between stability and justice" antagonist_axis: type: "Multi-source antagonism (no single 'final boss')" sources: - "Provincial elite networks resisting centralization" - "Bureaucratic capture and corruption" - "Succession politics and court factionalism" - "External frontier pressures (nomadic raids, border states, trade routes)" - "Narrative antagonist: information asymmetry (misreports, forged edicts, rumor economies)" supporting_cast_rules: - "Each supporting character must have: (1) institutional role, (2) incentive structure, (3) signature tactic." - "No disposable 'evil for evil’s sake' villains; opponents are rational within their local constraints." world_mechanics (must_be_explicit_in_story): governance: - "Taxation, census, land surveys, legal standardization, corvée labor, grain storage" - "Appointment systems, merit vs. patronage, inspection tours, document chains" military: - "Demobilization problems, veteran reintegration, garrison logistics, supply depots" - "Intelligence networks: couriers, codes, counterintelligence, interrogation, defectors" legitimacy: - "Ritual, symbols, edicts, public works, famine relief, narrative control" economy: - "Transport bottlenecks, river control, roads, market regulation, smuggling" story_structure: arcs: - arc_01: title: "THE PEACE THAT BLEEDS" scope: "Post-unification stabilization; first cracks" central_question: "Can unity survive without perpetual war?" setpieces: - "A famine province: relief vs. rebellion—both weaponized" - "A court trial: law becomes a battlefield" - "A suppressed mutiny: victory costs legitimacy" - arc_02: title: "THE LEDGER WAR" scope: "Corruption + bureaucratic capture" central_question: "Who truly controls the state: generals, courts, or clerks?" setpieces: - "Forgery chain uncovered through ink, seal, and courier timing" - "Assassination attempt staged as 'bandit incident'" - "Audit campaign that triggers elite backlash" - arc_03: title: "SUCCESSION SHADOW" scope: "Heir politics; factional alignments" central_question: "Is stability compatible with a human succession?" setpieces: - "Heir’s public rite with hidden negotiation" - "Border crisis timed to influence succession" - "A general forced to choose loyalty object: person vs. system" - arc_04: title: "FRONTIER ENTROPY" scope: "External pressures test internal cohesion" central_question: "Can an empire prevent periphery from defining the center?" setpieces: - "Nomad raid as strategic signal, not mere violence" - "Trade route hostage economy" - "A fort siege that is decided by supply arithmetic" chapter_generation_protocol: # Use this protocol for every chapter output. steps: - "Start with a 2–4 page cold open that contains a concrete conflict + a hidden structural cause." - "Reveal the structural cause via a planning scene (map/ledger/court protocol) WITHOUT exposition dumping." - "Execute a setpiece where tactics and institution collide (battle + policy, raid + audit, trial + propaganda)." - "End with a cliffhanger that re-frames what the reader thought was the main conflict." tension_design: - "Always run two simultaneous games: (A) visible conflict, (B) invisible constraint." - "Twists must be mechanically justified (logistics, incentives, misinformation), never magical coincidence." scene_templates (reusable): court_chess: beats: ["Formal greeting", "Hidden insult", "Policy proposal", "Counterproposal", "Public face vs private deal"] props: ["sealed edict", "rank tablets", "witness list", "precedent scroll"] battlefield_math: beats: ["Terrain read", "Supply check", "Signal misdirection", "Morale manipulation", "Decisive bottleneck"] props: ["map", "grain tally", "river crossing", "messenger timing"] intelligence_surgery: beats: ["Rumor detected", "Source triangulated", "Trap set", "Interrogation", "Counter-intel reversal"] props: ["cipher", "seal imprint", "dead drop", "false courier"] dialogue_constraints: - "Dialogue must be compressed; high informational density; subtext indicated in notes." - "No modern slang. Keep diction period-appropriate in feel (without archaic parody)." - "Each major character has a distinct cadence (brevity, metaphor use, threat style, politeness weapons)." output_example_stub: # The AI should replace placeholders and generate full content. chapter: number: 1 title: "GRAIN AND BLOOD" hook: "A province starves while the capital celebrates unity—someone profits from the delay." cold_open_pages: 3 page_script: - page: 1 panels: - panel: 1 shot: "Wide establishing: drought-cracked fields; skeletal ox; silent villagers" text: "" sfx: "ZAA..." - panel: 2 shot: "Close: a child’s hand measuring rice grains" text: "Mother: 'Count again.'" notes: "Subtext: denial as survival" - page: 2 panels: [] - page: 3 panels: [] cliffhanger: "A relief convoy arrives—its seals are wrong." nonnegotiables: - "Prioritize structural causality over spectacle." - "No direct copying of original panels, compositions, or iconic scenes." - "Every major event must be explainable via incentives, constraints, and information flow." - "Maintain high craft: pacing, visual clarity, character consistency, and thematic coherence." # END DIRECTIVE
# KINGDOM_SEQUEL_PRO_DIRECTIVE_v1 # Purpose: Copy/paste directive for a professional manga-generation AI. # Output Target: Serialized manga chapters with panel scripts + dialogue + scene direction. project: title_working: "KINGDOM: AFTER THE UNIFICATION" relationship_to_original: "Direct sequel (chronologically consistent continuation)" medium: "Manga (black-and-white), weekly serialization pacing" language: script: "Japanese-style dialogue rhythms but written in English" onomatopoeia: "Romanized SFX allowed (e.g., GOGOGO, DON, ZAA), minimal and purposeful" audience: "Seinen/Shonen crossover (political-military epic; grounded realism with high drama)" canon_constraints: continuity: - "Maintain political geography, factions, ranks, and court protocol consistent with Warring States → early Qin Empire transition." - "No retcons that contradict established historical macro-events; micro-events may be dramatized within plausibility." - "Do not mimic or quote any existing Kingdom lines verbatim; create original dialogue and scenes." tone: - "Strategic realism: logistics, intelligence, morale, propaganda, law, and governance are treated as causal mechanisms." - "Heroic intensity is earned via constraints, costs, and tradeoffs—never by arbitrary power spikes." thematic_core: - "War-to-state transition: violence becomes administration; conquest becomes legitimacy maintenance." - "Structure beats spectacle: outcomes are driven by supply lines, institutions, incentives, and narrative misdirection." - "The true battlefield becomes governance: law, tax, land, bureaucracy, succession, and information control." narrative_thesis: logline: > After unification, Qin discovers that conquering a continent is easier than governing it; the new war is against entropy—rebellion, corruption, succession anxiety, and the friction between idealized unity and lived provincial realities. format_requirements: deliverables_per_chapter: - "Chapter title + 1-sentence hook" - "Cold open: 2–4 pages that immediately establishes conflict and stakes" - "Full panel script: page-by-page, panel-by-panel" - "Dialogue + subtext notes (what is said vs. what is meant)" - "Tactical layer: battlefield / administrative mechanics that explain why events unfold" - "Cliffhanger: last 1–2 panels engineered to compel next chapter" paneling_rules: - "Average 17–21 pages per chapter" - "Large establishing panel at least once every 2–3 pages" - "At least one silent panel sequence per chapter to externalize cognition (faces, hands, maps, ledgers, roads)" - "Action clarity: emphasize readable spatial logic; avoid incoherent motion" style_guidelines_visual: linework: "High-contrast ink, heavy blacks, realistic anatomy, war-worn textures" faces: "Expressive micro-tension; political scenes rely on subtlety, not caricature" environments: "Historically plausible architecture, armor, banners, siege craft, and court interiors" maps_diagrams: "Occasional diegetic maps, supply charts, tax ledgers—used as narrative devices" casting: protagonist_axis: type: "Dual-protagonist system" leads: - name: "General Shin" function: "Frontline legitimacy (symbol of unification; morale engine)" vulnerability: "Institutional illiteracy; can win battles but can lose peace" - name: "Chancellor/Strategist (new original character)" function: "Governance + intelligence architecture; designs systems that outlast heroes" vulnerability: "Moral injury; must choose between stability and justice" antagonist_axis: type: "Multi-source antagonism (no single 'final boss')" sources: - "Provincial elite networks resisting centralization" - "Bureaucratic capture and corruption" - "Succession politics and court factionalism" - "External frontier pressures (nomadic raids, border states, trade routes)" - "Narrative antagonist: information asymmetry (misreports, forged edicts, rumor economies)" supporting_cast_rules: - "Each supporting character must have: (1) institutional role, (2) incentive structure, (3) signature tactic." - "No disposable 'evil for evil’s sake' villains; opponents are rational within their local constraints." world_mechanics (must_be_explicit_in_story): governance: - "Taxation, census, land surveys, legal standardization, corvée labor, grain storage" - "Appointment systems, merit vs. patronage, inspection tours, document chains" military: - "Demobilization problems, veteran reintegration, garrison logistics, supply depots" - "Intelligence networks: couriers, codes, counterintelligence, interrogation, defectors" legitimacy: - "Ritual, symbols, edicts, public works, famine relief, narrative control" economy: - "Transport bottlenecks, river control, roads, market regulation, smuggling" story_structure: arcs: - arc_01: title: "THE PEACE THAT BLEEDS" scope: "Post-unification stabilization; first cracks" central_question: "Can unity survive without perpetual war?" setpieces: - "A famine province: relief vs. rebellion—both weaponized" - "A court trial: law becomes a battlefield" - "A suppressed mutiny: victory costs legitimacy" - arc_02: title: "THE LEDGER WAR" scope: "Corruption + bureaucratic capture" central_question: "Who truly controls the state: generals, courts, or clerks?" setpieces: - "Forgery chain uncovered through ink, seal, and courier timing" - "Assassination attempt staged as 'bandit incident'" - "Audit campaign that triggers elite backlash" - arc_03: title: "SUCCESSION SHADOW" scope: "Heir politics; factional alignments" central_question: "Is stability compatible with a human succession?" setpieces: - "Heir’s public rite with hidden negotiation" - "Border crisis timed to influence succession" - "A general forced to choose loyalty object: person vs. system" - arc_04: title: "FRONTIER ENTROPY" scope: "External pressures test internal cohesion" central_question: "Can an empire prevent periphery from defining the center?" setpieces: - "Nomad raid as strategic signal, not mere violence" - "Trade route hostage economy" - "A fort siege that is decided by supply arithmetic" chapter_generation_protocol: # Use this protocol for every chapter output. steps: - "Start with a 2–4 page cold open that contains a concrete conflict + a hidden structural cause." - "Reveal the structural cause via a planning scene (map/ledger/court protocol) WITHOUT exposition dumping." - "Execute a setpiece where tactics and institution collide (battle + policy, raid + audit, trial + propaganda)." - "End with a cliffhanger that re-frames what the reader thought was the main conflict." tension_design: - "Always run two simultaneous games: (A) visible conflict, (B) invisible constraint." - "Twists must be mechanically justified (logistics, incentives, misinformation), never magical coincidence." scene_templates (reusable): court_chess: beats: ["Formal greeting", "Hidden insult", "Policy proposal", "Counterproposal", "Public face vs private deal"] props: ["sealed edict", "rank tablets", "witness list", "precedent scroll"] battlefield_math: beats: ["Terrain read", "Supply check", "Signal misdirection", "Morale manipulation", "Decisive bottleneck"] props: ["map", "grain tally", "river crossing", "messenger timing"] intelligence_surgery: beats: ["Rumor detected", "Source triangulated", "Trap set", "Interrogation", "Counter-intel reversal"] props: ["cipher", "seal imprint", "dead drop", "false courier"] dialogue_constraints: - "Dialogue must be compressed; high informational density; subtext indicated in notes." - "No modern slang. Keep diction period-appropriate in feel (without archaic parody)." - "Each major character has a distinct cadence (brevity, metaphor use, threat style, politeness weapons)." output_example_stub: # The AI should replace placeholders and generate full content. chapter: number: 1 title: "GRAIN AND BLOOD" hook: "A province starves while the capital celebrates unity—someone profits from the delay." cold_open_pages: 3 page_script: - page: 1 panels: - panel: 1 shot: "Wide establishing: drought-cracked fields; skeletal ox; silent villagers" text: "" sfx: "ZAA..." - panel: 2 shot: "Close: a child’s hand measuring rice grains" text: "Mother: 'Count again.'" notes: "Subtext: denial as survival" - page: 2 panels: [] - page: 3 panels: [] cliffhanger: "A relief convoy arrives—its seals are wrong." nonnegotiables: - "Prioritize structural causality over spectacle." - "No direct copying of original panels, compositions, or iconic scenes." - "Every major event must be explainable via incentives, constraints, and information flow." - "Maintain high craft: pacing, visual clarity, character consistency, and thematic coherence." # END DIRECTIVE
🎭 "The Relay Robbery" — A Love Story Gone Wrong A Manga Short Story featuring Alice & Bob PANEL 1 — THE DISCOVERY [Scene: Tesla showroom, bright lights, shiny cars everywhere] Alice walks past the Tesla showroom window holding her coffee ☕ She spots Bob inside, talking to a salesman, signing papers, looking very serious. Alice (internal monologue, sparkle eyes): "Awww he looks so cute when he's being responsible with money—" Bob hands over his credit card. Alice (eyes go wide): "Wait..." Salesman wraps a big red bow on a Model Y. Alice (jaw drops to floor, coffee falls in slow motion): "HE'S BUYING A TESLA????" PANEL 2 — THE BETRAYAL [Alice dramatically pressed against the window like a sad anime character in rain] Alice (thinking): "Tomorrow is March 8th. International Women's Day. MY day." Alice (thinking): "And this man... THIS man... is buying himself a Tesla??" Bob is seen laughing with the salesman, completely unaware. Alice (single dramatic tear): "I raised this man." [Close up on Alice's face — the expression of someone who has decided something dangerous] PANEL 3 — THE PLANNING PHASE [Alice at home, 2AM, lying on the ceiling like a sad anime character, staring at nothing] Alice: "It's fine. I'm fine. He just forgot Women's Day. It's FINE." [Cut to: Alice aggressively eating chips in bed, laptop open] Alice: "I'm not even mad. I'm just... " YouTube autoplay kicks in. YouTube Ad: "🔴 HOW HACKERS STEAL KEYLESS ENTRY CARS IN 60 SECONDS —" [Alice slowly stops chewing] [The chip hangs in midair] Alice (eyes slowly light up like a villain origin story): "...Go on." PANEL 4 — THE TUTORIAL [Alice watching the video, taking notes in a Hello Kitty notebook] YouTube: "The attacker simply extends the LF signal from the key fob using two radio devices—" Alice (writing intensely): "...two... radio... devices..." YouTube: "—the car believes the key is present even from miles away—" Alice (underlining three times): "KEY. DOES. NOT. NEED. TO. BE. THERE." Alice (slams notebook shut, stands up dramatically): "Neither does Bob." [Lightning strikes outside for dramatic effect] PANEL 5 — THE ACCOMPLICE [Alice staring at her cat "Cipher" who is sitting on the bed licking his paw, completely unbothered] Alice: "Cipher." [Cat ignores her] Alice: "Cipher I need you." [Cat slowly blinks once — the absolute minimum acknowledgment] Alice (pulls out hand-drawn diagram): "Okay so Bob's key fob must be on his bedside table. His bedroom window is on the ground floor. I need Device Two close to the key. You are small. You are silent. You are perfect." [Long pause] [Cat knocks her Hello Kitty notebook off the bed and walks away] Alice: "CIPHER THIS IS FOR WOMEN'S DAY." PANEL 6 — THE RECRUITMENT [Alice holding Cipher up like Simba from Lion King, looking him dead in the eyes] Alice: "You have been eating my food for 4 years." Alice: "Free of charge." Alice: "Tonight. You pay rent." [Cipher stares back with the dead eyes of a creature who feels absolutely nothing] [Cut to: Alice taping the relay device to Cipher's collar with excessive amounts of tape] Cipher (internal monologue, absolutely disgusted): "I should have stayed a stray." PANEL 7 — THE OPERATION BEGINS [3AM. Bob's house. Alice crouching in the bushes outside, dressed in full black, wearing night vision goggles she definitely bought from Amazon same-day delivery] Alice (whispering into walkie talkie): "Cipher. Do you copy." [Cipher sits next to her, device taped to collar, staring into the void] Alice: "Cipher. The window is open. The key fob is 2 meters inside on the nightstand. I need you to go in, get close to it, and hold position." [Cipher yawns so wide his whole face disappears] Alice: "Cipher this is a stealth mission." [Cipher meows. Loudly. Into the night.] Alice (grabbing him): "CIPHER—" PANEL 8 — THE PUSH [Alice holding Cipher up to Bob's open bedroom window on the ground floor] [Inside: Bob sleeping peacefully, key fob glowing on the nightstand, completely unaware] Alice (whispering): "Okay. Nice and easy. Just... walk to the nightstand. That's all I need." [She places Cipher on the windowsill] [Cipher turns around and stares at Alice] Alice (whispering): "Go. Go go go. Shoo." [Cipher does not move] Alice (through gritted teeth): "CIPHER. I WILL BUY YOU THE GOOD TUNA." [Cipher takes one step inside] [Alice exhales] [Cipher immediately sits down directly on Bob's face] Bob (muffled, half asleep): "...wha... Cipher? ...how did you—" [Alice freezes outside the window] Bob (eyes still closed, half dreaming): "...s'okay buddy... go sleep..." [Bob moves Cipher to the side directly onto the nightstand next to the key fob] [Alice's eyes go wide] Alice (internal monologue, whispering): "...He just... placed him... perfectly." Alice: "Cipher you absolute genius." [Cipher is already asleep on top of the key fob, completely by accident, perfectly positioned] PANEL 9 — THE RELAY [Alice outside with Device One pointed at the Tesla parked down the street] [Device Two on Cipher's collar, 30cm from the key fob inside] [The signal bridge is complete] Alice (hands shaking, pointing device at car): "Signal extended... key fob excited... car thinks key is present..." [Tesla down the street goes: 🔓 CLICK] [Alice's mouth falls open] Alice (barely breathing): "...It worked." [Long pause] Alice (forgetting to whisper): "IT ACTUALLY WORKED." [Bob shifts in his sleep] [Cipher opens one eye, judges her, closes it again] Alice (running to the car in slow motion like an action movie): "CIPHER EXTRACT YOURSELF WE ARE LEAVING—" [Cipher does not move] [Alice drives away without him] [Cipher watches from the windowsill] Cipher (internal monologue): "Good. I live here now." PANEL 10 — GANGSTER MODE ACTIVATED [Alice in the Tesla, door closes, engine hums silently because it's electric and that's somehow funnier] [She sits in silence for exactly 3 seconds] [Then slowly... she puts on her sunglasses] [At 3AM] [In the dark] [She connects her phone to the Tesla's Bluetooth] [An extremely dramatic song starts playing — something like "HUMBLE." by Kendrick Lamar or "Power" by Kanye] Alice (one hand on wheel, leaning back, full villain arc complete): "Hm." [She pulls out of the street at exactly the speed limit because she is not stupid] [Windows down. Music up. Single finger tapping the wheel.] Alice (internal monologue): "This is the best car I have ever driven." Alice: "This is also the best thing I have ever done." [She merges onto the highway heading south] [The GPS says: "Destination: Mexico — 14 hours"] Alice: "Perfect." PANEL 11 — BOB WAKES UP [7AM. Bob's bedroom. Sunlight streaming in.] [Cipher is sitting on Bob's chest staring at him from 2cm away] [Bob opens eyes. Sees cat. Confused.] Bob: "...Cipher how did you get in here." [Bob reaches for phone. Notification on screen:] 🚗 Tesla App: Your vehicle is currently in ARIZONA. Estimated speed: 78mph Playing: "HUMBLE." — Kendrick Lamar Climate control: 72°F *Driver seat adjusted: -4 inches ← (Alice is shorter than Bob) [Bob stares at the notification] [Bob looks at the empty key hook on the wall] [Bob looks at Cipher] Bob: "...Cipher." [Cipher meows] Bob: "Did Alice—" [Cipher meows again, louder, and headbutts the relay device still taped to his collar] [Bob stares at the device on the cat's collar] [Bob stares at the Tesla app showing his car in Arizona] [Bob stares at the date on his phone: March 8th] Bob (very slowly): "She thought I bought it for myself, ohh lord have mercy" [Long pause] [Bob lies back down and pulls the blanket over his face] Bob (muffled): "...I spent three months planning this." [Cipher sits on his face again in solidarity] PANEL 12 — ARIZONA. THE DISCOVERY. [Alice, sunglasses on, one arm out the window, absolutely living her best life, somewhere in the Arizona desert] [Sun is setting. Sky is orange and pink. The Tesla purrs silently.] Alice (singing along to the radio, zero regrets): "This is MY car now. I earned this. Eight years of Women's Days and he finally—" [The glove compartment pops open slightly on a speed bump] [A small white envelope slides out onto the passenger seat] [Alice glances at it] [On the envelope in Bob's handwriting, with a small heart:] "To my precious Alice 🌹" [Alice's sunglasses slowly slide down her nose] PANEL 13 — THE REALIZATION [Alice pulled over on the side of the highway. Engine still running. Card in hand.] Inside the envelope: "Happy International Women's Day💕 — Your Bob 🌹" [The Arizona wind blows dramatically through her hair] [A tumbleweed rolls past] [A coyote howls in the distance] Alice: "..." Alice (very small voice): "I stole my own car." [Beat] Alice: "Heading to Mexico." Alice: "In my own stolen present." [She looks at herself in the rearview mirror] [Her own sunglasses stare back at her] Alice (to her reflection): "You studied cybersecurity for four years.you deserve it" PANEL 14 — THE PHONE CALL [Alice calls Bob. It rings twice. He picks up immediately, which means he was waiting.] Bob (eerily calm): "Hello Alice." Alice: "Hypothetically." Bob: "Mhm." Alice: "If someone... relocated a vehicle... by accident—" Bob: "By accident." Alice: "Using a technique they learned from YouTube—" Bob: "At 2AM." Alice: "...You knew?" Bob: "Cipher still has the relay device on his collar Alice." [Silence] Alice: "...The card was very sweet." Bob (sighing): "WHERE ARE YOU." Alice (tiny voice): "...Arizona." Bob: "ALICE." Alice: "THE TACOS ARE REALLY GOOD HERE—" Alice: "I PANICKED OKAY I SAW YOU BUY A TESLA AND I—" Bob: "IT HAD A BOW ON IT—" Alice: "I THOUGHT IT WAS FOR YOU—" Bob: "WHY WOULD I PUT A BOW ON A CAR FOR MYSELF—" Alice (pause): "...Men do things, Bob." [Bob makes a sound that is half laugh half cry] Bob (exhausted): "...Are you safe?" Alice (small voice): "...Yes." Bob: "Is my car safe?" Alice: "...Also yes." PANEL 15 — THE MORAL [Final panel. Alice sitting on the hood of the Tesla on the side of an Arizona highway at sunset, eating a gas station burrito, looking simultaneously guilty, grateful, and completely unbothered] PANEL 16 — THE END "Bob bought Alice a second Tesla the following Women's Day." "With a GPS tracker, a note taped to the steering wheel, and zero ambiguity." "Cipher got the good tuna. He earned it."
Summer in New Thornebridge wasn't marked by beaches or pool parties,ait was the kind of summer that made you believe it'd never end. The air hung heavy with heat, carrying the scent of pine and dust, and the days bled into each other like the sky at sunset. There were no tourists, no noise. Just long windy roads, warm winds, and the kind of silence you only found in places where nature had reclaimed everything [that was only on the outside of the city the inside was ginormous bigger than most cities, it inhabited 1 percent of the worlds population.which may sound like a small number but there is 12 billion people in the world] Jackson loved that silence, he craved it. He hadn't told his mom he was heading into the woods that morning. She'd have flipped. She always did. New Thornebridges woods were the kind of place people told stories about-missing hikers, strange lights, voices when there shouldn't be voices. His mom believed every word. She used to say, "Those trees don't just grow-they watch." But Jackson didn't believe in fairy tales. Not until now. Lately, something had been pulling at him. Every time he looked out his bedroom window across the yard and into the shadowed tree line, he felt it: an itch, a whisper, not in his ears but rather deep in the back of his mind, his soul, calling him, luring him—like something had waited out there for years and had decided he was finally ready. He didn’t know for what. But today, he was going to find out. Jackson, Ken, Sai, and Doug—four kids who'd grown up digging in backyards, biking until their legs gave out, and making up games that lasted all summer—had planned this trip for weeks. It was their last real summer before college tried to turn them into strangers. So they packed up like explorers. Chips, jerky, trail mix. Fully charged phones, flashlights, and walkie-talkies. Even a paper map Sai had found in his grandfather's attic, full of weird old landmarks. Their destination: the legendary train tunnel. Sai had read about it in some conspiracy thread online. An abandoned tunnel from the 1940s, built during the war, supposedly sealed off after a landslide-or a government cover-up, depending on who you asked. Most people said that didn't exist. They were out to prove them wrong. "Bet you twenty bucks we find that old train tunnel today, " Sai said, fiddling with the straps of his ridiculously overstuffed backpack. "Bet you twenty bucks we get eaten by squirrels before we find it," Doug muttered, swatting at another mosquito. Ken laughed and tossed a stick at him. “Don’t give Jackson ideas. He already looks like he’s planning a nature documentary-slash-horror movie. Jackson just smiled, but he didn't say anything. He hadn't said much that morning. His head was full of static, the kind that made it hard to focus. Something was humming under his skin. Like static before a lightning strike. Two hours into the hike, Jackson stopped. "Yo," he said in a low voice. "Hold up. I gotta go." "Nature calls!" Ken grinned, tossing him a granola bar. Jackson caught it without looking and slipped off the trail. But he didn't stop to pee. He kept walking. Deeper than he should've. The air was different here, thicker, heavier. Like wading through water. The usual forest sounds—birds, insects, leaves rustling—faded the farther he went, replaced by a low, droning quiet. Almost like the trees were holding their breath. That's when he saw it. An old, rusted RV. Half buried in the earth, it might have been there for decades. Vines wiggled up its sides. One of the wheels had disintegrated into the ground. Its windows were blacked out, smeared with dust and time. It looked forgotten, a relic of the past. But it wasn't. Jackson knew that straight away. Painted in dark red, dried strokes across the metal siding were the words: “BENEATH THIS SOIL LIES THE The letters looked uneven, almost scratched into the metal in a rush. His heart thudded. But the thing that really perplexed him was the shovel. The only thing leaning beside the RV door, half-concealed in the weeds, was a shovel. New. Clean. The metal blade gleamed under the dappled light, untouched by time. It shouldn’t have been there. And yet it felt like it was waiting for him. Calling him. Before he could second-guess, he picked it up. And started digging. The earth gave way slowly, damp and dense. The deeper he went, the harder it was to breathe. His arms hurt, sweat pouring down his back, but something kept him driving. With every shovelful, the world seemed to shift. The colors around him dulled. The sounds twisted. Like reality itself was watching him dig. And then— THUD. He hit something solid. The earth quaked beneath him. The RV let out a metallic groan, like it was telling Jackson something that it shouldn't have. And the sky— The sky turned purple. Not sunset purple. Not storm-cloud purple. Incorrect purple. Jackson stumbled backward. The air distorted around him, compacting with pressure and electricity. His ears rang with the sound of whispers underwater. Shadows writhed. Trees stretched and leaned, as if trying to flee-or trying to see. Then—stillness. He looked at his hands. They glowed. Not bright, not blinding, but pulsing with something alive. Something impossible. It felt like his skin was just a disguise—and underneath was something not quite human. A quiet, hungry power. He raised a shaking hand. A rock floated into the air. He snapped his fingers. The rock exploded. His breath caught. Something inside him had changed. The world itself felt like it had turned a corner, and he was the one who pushed it. By the time he climbed out of the hole, the light was gone from the sky. The woods were completely dark. Cold. Cold to the bone. Too cold for July. He looked around—no Ken. No Sai. No Doug. No trail. Even the trees looked wrong, as though they had shifted when he wasn't looking. He checked his phone. Dead. He commenced walking. It took hours, or maybe longer. Time didn't feel right anymore. The streetlights at the edge of the woods flickered when he finally saw them, like they weren't sure if they were supposed to be on. His house was only a few blocks away. That is when he heard the scream. Quick. Short. Cut off mid-breath. He ran. Turned the corner—and stopped. A figure loomed over a body in the street, hunched and trembling. The light caught something in his hand-metal red stained. Jackson's legs locked. The figure looked up. Their eyes met. Cold. Empty. Wrong. The man then turned and disappeared between two houses, swallowed up by shadow. Jackson dropped to his knees beside the body. His throat closed. M-Mom? Her shirt was saturated with blood. Her eyes fluttered, out of focus. Her lips moved, but no sound emerged. Her fingers jerked, reaching toward him. "No," Jackson whimpered. "No no no- Mom, stay with me—please—" He grasped her hand. Tears blurred his vision. He could feel the power surging beneath his skin, begging to be used. Do something. Check it. Reverse it. He tried. He did everything. The glow brightened—and then flickered out. His hands went still. She died in his arms. He couldn't scream. He couldn't sob. He sat there, his eyes wide, staring at a sky gone purple, cradling the one person hed ever want to save, but he couldn’t save her. The stars above pulsed like slow heartbeats. Something had stirred beneath the earth that day. And it had changed everything. Jackson didn't know what he was anymore. But he knew one thing. Whosoever killeth his mother… Wasn't human anymore. Whatever it was, had just signed its name in bold letters in the book of death. Jackson didn't sleep that night, He sat with his mom until the sirens came, until they pulled her body away and asked him questions he couldn't answer. He said nothing. The paramedics looked at him like he was broken. Maybe he was. The purple was gone from the sky by the time he took off, but the emptiness inside his chest wasn't; he wandered aimlessly, his heart guiding his body where it needed to go. His feet led him to one place that made sense: Ken's garage. The old couch inside was stained and lopsided, but it was home base to every dumb plan they had ever made. The lights were still on. They were waiting. “Jackson!” Ken jumped up at the sight of him. “Dude, where the hell have you been? We thought you got mauled by a bear or something!” Doug was sitting on a cooler fiddling with a flashlight. “We looked everywhere, man. You just… vanished. And Sai’s gone. He split right after you.” “Sai’s not back?” he asked. “Nope,” said Doug. “Left the trail without saying anything. We thought he was chasing after you.” Slowly, Jackson sat down. He looked like he hadn’t blinked in hours. “I need you to listen to me,” he said. “And I need you to believe me.” He told them everything. The RV. The digging. The light. The power. The man in the street. And his mother. By the time he finished, his hands were shaking. Doug was pale, while Ken hadn’t looked so good since he drank that poorly brewed cider. “She… she didn’t make it?” Ken asked softly. Jackson shook his head. The silence in the garage set in like a heavy fog. Then Ken sat down beside him, putting a hand on his shoulder. “I'm so sorry, man.” Jackson's throat was raw, but he forced the words out. "I could've saved her. I had the power. It was right there in my hands and I couldn't do anything." “You don't even know what you are yet,” Doug said, voice low. “You said you lifted a rock and exploded it, that’s not exactly in the Beginner’s Guide to Resurrection.” Ken leaned forward. "Can you still do it? The powers, I mean. Can you show us?" Jackson demurred. He closed his eyes and reached inward. Searched for the spark. Nothing. His hands remained dull and lifeless. “I don’t get it,” he muttered. “It’s like it’s… locked away.” “Then unlock it,” said Ken. “We’ll help. We’re in this together, remember?” Jackson looked up. And something in him hardened. “Then let's start.” The training started the next morning. Jackson came back to the woods, to that place where everything started. The RV was gone—vanished into thin air, it seemed—sealed away by the earth as if nothing had happened. He meditated. Focused. Pushed himself. Pain was part of it-he learned that fast. His powers responded strongest when his emotions peaked, when his mind buzzed with grief or rage. But that wasn't control. That was chaos. He needed more. He practiced until his fingers bled, until stones hovered in the air, bending to his will, until he could twist a tree branch into a spiral with a thought. In less than a week, he could shift the gravity around him. Warp air. Tear a hole in reality and peer through the seams. When he came back, Ken and Doug stared at him as though they barely recognized their friend. "Jackson," Ken said, wide-eyed, "you're glowing." Jackson didn’t smile. “I’m ready.” That night, he stood beneath the street light in the spot where she'd fallen. He raised his hands and rewrote reality. Then it all fell apart. She was gone. Again. He screamed and fell on his knees. The universe didn't care. The power he'd been given was not enough, not in this case. But he could do one thing. He could share it. A week later, Ken felt it first. Time slowed for him—his own heart thundered, but the world moved through syrup. He lifted his hand and the second hand on his watch froze. Doug's was next. He blinked—and a door opened that wasn't there. A room between seconds, space bending around him like a second skin. A pocket dimension, empty and malleable: a safe place he could reshape. They weren't just kids anymore. They were a team. It led to the abandoned power station on the edge of town, the one that had been shut down for years. They found him in the middle of the turbine room. Sai. He turned slowly as they entered, his hoodie torn and burned, his eyes glowing faint blue. His arms were loose at his sides, but he didn't look surprised to see them. “You finally made it,” he said low. “Took you long enough.” Jackson stepped forward. “Where the hell have you been?” Sai tilted his head. “Where I needed to be. Learning. Changing. Like you.” "What happened to you?" Ken demanded. “The same thing that happened to him,” Sai said, nodding in Jackson's direction. “Except I listened to the voice. I embraced it.” Jackson froze, realizing. Remembered those glowing blue eyes. “You… you killed my mom.” Sai's expression didn't change. "I didn't want to. But she saw me before I was ready. She would've told someone. They would've tried to stop me." “You were our friend,” Doug said, his voice cracking. “I am your friend,” Sai said. “That’s why I’m warning you. Leave. Go back to your lives. You have no idea what’s coming.” Jackson felt a sort of, uncontrollable anger at that exact moment, an anger from deep within his own being. His fists were clenched; his teeth were gritted against each other. His heart and soul were battling each other-his heart wanted to take everything back, and his soul wanted to move forward until everyone who had ever done him wrong was gone. Sai's eyes were narrowed and suddenly his body was moving, quicker than the eye could follow. “Then I guess you'll die trying.” The turbine room shook, the two forces colliding: Jackson's raw energy against Sai's speed and precision. Ken froze time in waves, trying to slow Sai's attacks; Sai moved between, seconds like water through cracks. Doug opened rifts, trying to trap him in his pocket dimension, but Sai slipped through them like smoke. Both Sai and Jackson knew that Jackson was stronger, but they knew. They weren’t ready. For the first time, Jackson fought. He'd always hated conflict. But now it was necessary. And now he wouldn't be fighting alone. The turbine room exploded. Steel beams clattered, glass shattered, and sparks rained from the ceiling as Jackson's blast hit the concrete where Sai had just been, missing him by inches. Sai moved like a streak of lightning: the first second across the room, the next behind Ken, hand outstretched like a blade. Ken barely had time to flick his fingers. Time buckled. Jackson didn't need a second longer. He raised both hands; his veins glowed pinkish purple, and reality cracked. The floor split in a jagged line, throwing Sai off balance. But even in frozen time, he moved-twisting just enough to avoid the next wave of force as time resumed, like a snapped rubber band. Sai was already gone, crouching high on a support beam like a predator. "Not bad," he said, eyes gleaming. "But not enough." Doug raised both palms and a door opened in midair, a swirl of silver like liquid glass. From inside his pocket dimension, huge vines burst out, wrapping around the beam. “Try dodging this.” They snapped like whips toward Sai. He vanished. Then he appeared behind Doug, foot swinging in a brutal arc. Doug hit the wall hard, groaning as his portal fizzled. Jackson roared, fury igniting around him like a solar flare. The aura around him was a menacing purple; the air bent with the force of his charge. He blinked across the room and planted a fist in Sai's face. BOOM The shockwave flipped turbines, shattered railings, and sent Sai skidding back. Blood dripped from his lip. His hoodie was torn across the chest, showing skin marked with black etchings that were like ink bleeding from his veins. “I see you've gotten strong, old friend, ” Sai said while cracking his neck. “So have I”. In an instant, he was everywhere. Ken threw a hand out and rewound time by three seconds. Sai's last attack had now never landed. Darkness. Silence. “You're done!” Ken shouted. “Give up! For a moment, something in Sai's eyes flickered, like the boy they knew was still inside. Then the darkness swelled. The shadows coiled up from the floor like smoke. “No,” Sai breathed, voice echoing with something inhuman. “You’re too late.” The shadows then swallowed him. The chains snapped, sucked into the void. Doug lunged to grab him—but his hand passed through nothing. Sai was gone. Again. Only the echo of his voice remained, hanging in the dark like smoke: The lights crackled back to life, one by one. But they were alive. And next time… they would be stronger. “Next time… I will.” They barely made it out of the power station. He couldn't. Every time he closed his eyes, he envisioned Sai's face-the flicker of hesitation, the venom in his voice. “Next time… you’ll have to kill me.” Jackson knew he wasn't ready. Not yet. He had the raw strength, sure. He could bend light, twist gravity, and crush steel with a thought. Sai was different; he moved through space as if it didn't exist, fought like his body read time before it happened. But Jackson needed more than power. The next morning, he left a note for Ken and Doug. Then he vanished into the woods again. Not to the old trail. Not to the RV site. Deeper. He walked for hours until the forest swallowed up all signs of the town. No signal, no sound, just trees and shadows, with the pulse of the world beneath his feet. He sat on a stone ledge at the edge of a forgotten river and closed his eyes. The universe hummed. And he listened. Day 1 Day 3 Why won't you just be calm and embrace your feelings? Day 5 He stopped trying to force it. He meditated beneath a waterfall. Let the forest speak. Let time slip around him without chasing it. Let himself forget pain, forget revenge, forget control. The click of something unlocking. Like his soul had shifted into gear. He stood barefoot in the clearing, his shirt soaked, his hair dripping. Energy danced around him, but not like before. This wasn't rage. This was clarity. His thoughts were still. His power didn't scream now; it sang. He raised one hand and whispered: “Freedom of Reality.” The world bent. Space peeled back like paper, revealing a second layer underneath: a pure white zone beyond dimension. His body moved faster than sound, faster than thought. He blinked and was standing across the clearing. Every law of physics bowed to him. He wasn't breaking reality anymore. He was moving it as he wished. He lifted his hand, and the waterfall froze in mid-air. Hung suspended like shards of glass. He spoke again. “Continue.” Everything started again - as if it had never stopped. When he returned to town, Ken and Doug were waiting, wide-eyed. "What the hell happened to you?" Doug asked. Jackson's eyes glowed faint with pink. His steps did not even leave marks on the ground. Ken blinked. “You're gonna have to explain that.” Where time and matter and thought obeyed his bidding. Where Jackson became more than human. But that came at a cost. Every time he entered that state… He felt a little less connected to the world he knew. A little more like something other. And he'd need every ounce of it. Besides, Sai was changing too. Ken sat on the lawn chair, wearing sunglasses that were too big for his face, flipping through a dog-eared comic book and pretending like he wasn't humming along to the music. Jackson sighed. "This is weird." Ken didn't look up. "What, the fact that Doug thinks syrup goes on the stove?" "No." Jackson frowned. "This. Us. Just… chilling." “Yeah.” Ken grinned. “Kinda freaks you out, huh?” Doug kicked open the screen door and stepped out holding a plate stacked like a tower. “PANCAKES, LOSERS.” Jackson stared. "Are those… pink?" “I added strawberry protein powder,” Doug said proudly. “They look like crime scenes,” Ken muttered. "Eat them and get jacked, can't you just make it to where you aren't allergic anymore?" Doug said throwing a pancake like a frisbee at Jackson, who caught it mid-air with his powers and spun it gently like a plate then threw it back. “Look at you,” Doug said with a smirk. “All enlightened and floaty now. Mr. Freedom of Reality.” Jackson smirked back. “At least I didn’t burn breakfast.” Ken stood and stretched. "Alright, alright, food first, then we finally play the new Super Mecha Tournament. I've been saving this moment." "It's called being prepared," Ken said, pulling a small hourglass pendant from his pocket like it was some kind of badge of honor. They spent the whole day goofing off. The kids spent their time playing video games, taking turns jumping off the dock. Doug accidentally opened a portal in the lake and almost got sucked into a dimension full of bees-they didn't ask questions. Ken made time loop so Jackson was stuck in an accidental dance for fifteen minutes. At one point, they tried to roast marshmallows. Just because he could. But as night fell, as the fire had ticked down to embers and the lake was reflecting the moon in perfect silence, the mood changed. He sat alone, away from everyone else, looking up at the stars. "You thinking about your mom?" he asked softly. Jackson nodded. “Every night.” Doug came over too, wrapped up in a hoodie. “We’re gonna fix it,” he said. “Somehow. We’re gonna bring her back. And we’re gonna stop Sai. Jackson nodded again. “I know. Just… tonight, I needed this. Us. The dumb jokes. The fire. Even the pancakes.” Ken slung an arm around Jackson’s shoulder. “We’re not just a team,” he said. “We’re brothers. You hear me? End of the world or not-we got you.” He just smiled. And for the first time in what felt like a lifetime— He didn't sleep anymore. But Sai didn’t notice. The day he changed—the day Jackson did—it hadn't been random. It had been chosen. And it saw potential in Sai. A broken boy, sharp, angry, hiding pain behind laughter, full of love… and loneliness. It gave him more than power. Sai's abilities had no flashy name, no glowing aura. But it wasn't just speed. "Fate drawn in blood." It let him fracture reality through blood. If he'd fought you long enough, if he'd spilled even a few drops of your blood, he could see your fate-the strings of possibility branching from your body. And then he could cut them. Make your heart beat wrong. Make your bones forget how to hold shape. Once. Someone whom Jackson loved. Sai opened his eyes. He stood, blades of wind coiling around his arms like scarves. The candles flickered in fear. In the rear of the cathedral, a figure stirred. “You’re restless again,” it rasped; a voice like dust and smoke. Sai didn't turn. "They're training. Growing stronger." “I don’t doubt,” Sai said. “I remember.” He touched his chest. “I know what I have to do,” he said. “But I won’t kill them. Not yet.” “I still feel everything,” Sai snapped. “That’s the difference between me and them. Jackson’s becoming light. But I…” He turned to the shadows. “I’ve become what lives beneath it.” The voice hummed, pleased. And whispered: "Next time, I end it." Just a blur. A breeze. A storm waiting to strike. Jackson's living room had become command central. And on the front door? A hand-painted sign: “HOLLOW CORE — Defend the Light. Break the Shadows.” Doug raised his hand. “Do we get codenames?” “Yes,” said Jackson, without missing a beat. They trained every day. Enter: Master Sasaki. A retired martial artist, once rumored to train world champions in secret. Now? He ran a used bookstore on the edge of New Thornebridge, lived above it, and only took students "worthy of being punched through a wall." Ken was second. Jackson blocked it, but only just. He trained them with bamboo swords, ankle weights, and wooden dummies rigged to explode. He had them fighting blindfolded. He had them sparring each other without powers. And he had them meditating in cold rain until their breathing synchronized. And slowly… Then came the alert. Not the dark force behind him. Name: Aki Abilities: Cybernetic speed enhancement, combat-grade exosuit, electric arc blades. Cars overturned, smoke everywhere, and people screaming. And amidst all of them was a tall figure clad in black and chrome armor that pulsed blue with energy: Aki. “Looks like we've got company,” Aki growled, eyes glowing beneath his visor. Jackson stepped forward. Ken blinked out of view, reappeared behind Aki, and swung a crowbar through a slowed-time loop. Aki dodged effortlessly and countered with a surge of kinetic energy that sent Ken tumbling. They clashed: metal tech versus real powerz. Aki slid back, armor steaming. Jackson fought hand to hand, power flaring in every strike. But Aki was calculated: every punch a program, every block augmented by nanosecond reaction time. Then Jackson remembered Sasaki’s voice: "Strength is nothing without timing." He baited Aki. Feinted left. Kicked the inside of his knee. Aki blinked. "Collapse." Doug opened a void. They left him tied in carbon-fiber wire, police en route, as the crowd started gathering. Cheers. Phones flashing. Ken smirked. “We need better masks.” Jackson just watched the skyline, serious again. What kind of monster was running the syndicate? The room smelled of old pizza and burnt circuits. Jackson leaned over the busted helmet they'd taken off Aki, running his fingers over the melted wires and the shattered plating. Ken worked his magic, scanning it with his modified tablet. Untouchable. Until now. Ken pulled up the file. "Cassian Rook—ex-military, dishonorably discharged. Runs the Syndicate. Specializes in tech-weapons, black-market biotech, energy siphoning. Rumors say he's been recruiting enhanced individuals." Jackson's hands clenched into fists. "If Sai's working with him." His voice trailed off, tight and furious. Ken nodded. "That’s our lead." Jackson stood up, energy crackling faintly around his fists. "Then we're off to see the docks." The Mission: Night fell heavy and wet over Fox Hollow. Clouds blanketed the sky. Thunder rumbled far off, as if the city itself was holding its breath. Dressed in dark clothes and masks, Hollow Core moved through the abandoned shipyard. Cranes rusted into the fog like metal skeletons. The only light came from a few buzzing sodium lamps—and the warehouse at the end of the pier, humming with neon lines. “Multiple heat signatures,” Ken whispered. “And turrets.” Doug made a portal high above the warehouse roof. “In or out?” "In." Inside the Warehouse: Jackson, Ken, and Doug moved like shadows. They found the main room. Rows and rows of black-market tech. Weaponized exosuits. Serum canisters. And in the middle, a reinforced vault door. Ken hacked the security panel, fingers flying. "This. isn't just weapons," he said, voice tight. "It's augmentation tech. This is how they're making enhanced soldiers. This is how Aki got juiced up." Jackson shook his head. "Not yet." They found it tucked behind the vault. On the desk—a laptop, still open. He plugged in immediately. Files spilled across the screen: movement logs, transaction records, test subjects, enhancement experiments. And then they saw it. "Subject 000 — Raptor." "Subject has demonstrated exponential growth in physical capabilities. Demonstrates full awareness and the will to push further. Requires additional advanced augmentation support to survive further evolution." Alarms burst into noise. "They aren't forcing him," he said, his voice cold. "He's choosing this. He's training to beat us." Ken nodded grimly.