Written by

Theresa J. Pridemore
a.k.a. Judith Agrathea

"CHRYSALIS"

MAJOR CREDITS begin on a black screen.

FADE IN:

EXT. AERIAL VIEW OF ARENDOHR - DAY

Arendohr, the alien world of another galaxy, seems at first to only be a desert. Indeed, that is where our viewpoint begins.

Slowly at first, we move across dunes and sandy plains, fairly low and close to the ground. As we pick up speed, we also pick up altitude, and are now trotting past plateaus, then mountains. We are high now, and can see further into the horizon, over lush forests of BRIGHT HUES, purple rivers, blue trees, patches that seem, from above, to be nothing but shimmering pools of light.

Now we are zooming, and are overcome with an all-encompassing view of a lush world, encircled by an ominous, encroaching desert. It doesn't bother us too much¼ yet. It is still so far away, and the land so beautiful.

Coming closer to the other edge of this lush area, we suddenly begin to plummet, into the very depths of the forest. We race through strange landscapes with alien creatures, living trees where bug-like plants seem to ripen and fly from the branch. We fly with one of these bug-buds, a glowing triad of spheres connected by twigs, as it buzzes and twirls through the land.

It departs from our company as the forest thins. We see golden desert ahead, and we don't stop until we reach a plateau at the edge of the forest, teaming with small creatures called THE KEEPERS. But, even this is only a fleeting observation, for soon we are inside the palace, careening through hallways until we stop abruptly.

Still elated from the quick, image-rich journey we have taken we find ourselves in:

INT. A HALLWAY IN THE MENRAHK PALACE

This is where the MENRAHK, a council of alien sorcerers, dwell.

We are immediately confronted with DEVATI, who is crouched against the wall in a dramatic pose, her long, spindly arm propped on her knee in such a way that flaunts her long, razor-sharp claws. She is a GEILE, one of an elf-like race with tall, slender figures, whisker-like eyelashes, ears of a butterfly's wings, and, most notably, deadly nails that can carve through solid rock. Her tailored clothes reveal an external heart that protrudes from her breast, bright blue blood visibly coursing in its depths.

Devati is a beautiful example of this species, with swooping, multi-faceted hair that twists about her head in odd shapes, and magenta lashes that nearly touch her chin (see attached illustration).

Her fierce expression is what is most gripping as we close in. Next we watch her hand as she RETRACTS HER CLAWS in preparation for what can only be murder.

We look beyond the wall and see that the Menrahk are not aware of her presence; their egg-shaped, womb-like forms haunt the room, emitting low SOUNDS that are apparently speech (see attached illustration). They are speaking to their slaves, who are the aforementioned Keepers.

These small creatures scuttle about with purpose, each carrying a staff that dons the same egg shape of the Menrahk, only in a miniature proportion (see attached illustration). These are best described as back-up life for the Menrahk, and the link between the staffs and the sorcerers themselves becomes apparent when we observe them closely. The Menrahk not only speak through words, but through the motion of sands from within their translucent womb. As they speak, we hear the faint SOUND OF MOVING SANDS behind their voice, changing intensity and cadence with the cadence of their speech. Their method of speech has the whiny nature of Golem. Each staff in the possession of the Keepers mimics the behavior of its respective Menrahk host; should the Menrahk die, he can be reborn through his corresponding egg.

We move back to where Devati sits, and see her tensed for action. Though the atmosphere is gloomy, we are greeted with VIVID COLORS (hue and saturation of color will be an important factor throughout the film).

The silence is broken as she mouths these words, full of quiet fury:

Her voice is complemented by a noise like breathing, but close, as well, to the jangling sound of the hollow beads characteristic of Indian/Hindu jewelry.

Her movement is sudden, decisive. She moves with amazing speed into the

INT. MENRAHK PALACE - MAIN CHAMBER

taking the small slaves by surprise. From within the Menrahk, sands move tumultuously, as if in anger. However, there is only a brief moment in which to observe this -- before anyone can blink, Devati has efficiently slain the HEAD KEEPER, whose differentiation lie in the superior ornamentation of his cloak.

Her swift motion sends the small creature flying into the wall, but before he can travel too far, she snatches the staff from him. As we watch, we hear an angry cry from the leader of the Menrahk, KALI-RAHK:

She smashes the staff violently against the ground. The egg bursts, and we see the sands within convulse and harden into an abstract, stone sculpture. Though the scene is quick and brutal, we are held a moment by the image of the shattered egg. The other Keepers who possess staffs flee from the room.

The voices of the other Menrahk crowd the room, some demanding action, others making mumbled comments about how he will not survive without the staff. Their worried words are obviously more directed towards their own life than his.

YUS-RAHK and SUL-RAHK are the names of those whose speech is most heard.

We hear all of these things as Devati closes in on the Kali-Rahk and dons her claws before the approaching crowd of Keepers. Their numbers are few due to their fleeing companions, and they hesitate before the threat; though they apparently fear the wrath of their masters if they do not fulfill their purpose, they also fear for their lives.

Devati turns to the Keepers.

One brave, yet reluctant soul ventures forth with a dagger. His efforts are fruitless, and he is swiftly killed.

Devati turns toward them, aware of all that goes on around her. Again, she dons her deadly claws.

She closes in on Kali-Rahk and gently lays her nails against the surface of his thick, yet flesh-like shell. It seems that she is hugging him, but in a mocking, threatening manner. Her face shows sadistic enjoyment in a slight grin. Her voice is merely a whisper, and her words are meant only for Kali-Rahk.

She speaks no words. Cutting him off in his speech, she digs her once gentle claws into his skin, dragging downward and ripping through him, leaving a hideous gash. The Keepers flee in fear, while the other Menrahk gasp and moan.

The sands from within the egg burst violently out, but, unlike Kali-Rahk's smaller counterpart, he uses his moving, sandy form to engulf Devati. This, she did not expect. As the sand moves in abstract shapes about her body, she struggles without hope.

As the sands flow furiously about her form, we close in on her external heart. Her body is tensing with the struggle, as is her expression. As we see Kali-Rahk begin his transformation into stone, her heart begins another transformation - her blood is hardening into grains of sand. All motion stops abruptly once Kali-Rahk dies. He is now a lifeless statue, as his counterpart.

Devati is captured within; only a few protrusions such as elbows and fingertips hint to trapped body.

There is a small crevice in the rock through which she can see; this is also the POV from which we are looking. She opens her eyes briefly to see the Keepers approaching and hears the other Menrahk speak:

The keeper ritually waves the staff before her, and the screen gradually FADES TO BLACK as she closes her eyes.

After some moments of darkness the title screen appears, the blue word ‘Chrysalis’ transforming to sand, then to quartz, and finally sprouting limbs, creating a growing mesh of leaves and branches that consume the screen.

The mesh fades and we are in

INT. MENRAHK PALACE - MAIN CHAMBER, THREE CENTURIES LATER, DAY

where the formerly bleak, yet spectacular palace is in a shambles. (Any MINOR CREDITS continue from here). There are still three Menrahk remaining, and we only see them because of the daylight coming through the broken ceiling.

Unlike the once busy room, there are two Keepers tending to duties, lifeless and no longer carrying staffs. An air of decay fills the air and the COLORS ARE MUTED (as they shall be in scenes depicting the present, until ACT 4).

One OLD KEEPER enters the room and bows with difficulty before the remaining Menrahk.

They mumble in low tones of surprise. The voice that finally responds comes from the oldest, in an aged voice.

The Old Keeper nods silently.

While the Old Keeper exits to his task, we move to the other two keepers and hear one called JOLI mumble to the other:

As the keeper speaks (or any other henceforth) there is a barely discernible sound accenting his speech, as with the Menrahk. One who pays close attention can recognize the sound of rattling chains.

The second keeper responds to his comment with a shrug of the shoulders; it is a perplexing incident for everyone. To add to the air of mystery, we see the shadow of a form haunt the doorway. It only hints at the figure of a large, spider-like creature.

His name is HURLESQUE. Silhouettes of his four arms dance fluidly as his soft, yet commanding voice is heard. The voice seems to resonate, as if he is chanting "OM" with his very words.

The two keepers look to each other in shock at the Menrahk's ability to identify the creature. Hurlesque continues to stand in the shadows.

Though we cannot see Hurlesque's face, we see a CLOSE-UP OF HIS HAND, where he is toying with a handful of SAND. We pause as we notice a piece of QUARTZ rolling amongst the grains. The camera CUTS to the group of Menrahk.

As he speaks, he throws the sands out, his hand and long arm illuminated as they escape the shadows. Taking their slowed trip to the ground, the sands change.

When they hit the earth, they are pebbles.

We watch them ROLL across the ground, and are caught up in the motion of the piece of quartz. The Menrahk do not notice as this semi-precious stone ceases its motion at the base of the sculpture where Devati is held prisoner.

It GLOWS a brief moment before the CAMERA RETURNS TO an image of Hurlesque's retreating shadow. We hear no sound of footsteps as his shadow moves down the hallway and disappears. Silence pervades the room for a few moments before one of the other Menrahk, OHN-RAHK, speaks.

The third Menrahk, SUL-RAHK, participates in the conversation:

His comment is met with sounds of comprehension.

A few Keepers scuttle to the cause with chisels. As they begin the task of releasing her from her stone prison, the CAMERA MOVES DOWN to where the piece of quartz lay. It glows, catching the eye of one of the Keepers.

As he bends over to pick it up, we see past his unique blue cloak (important later) and realize that he is very old - four hundred and twenty-four years old, to be precise. His name is FILLITT. He looks at the stone with carefully hidden glances, then glances at the doorway where Hurlesque once stood.

The crystal stops glowing and he pockets it, continuing to work in silence, as do the other Keepers. We then

INT. MENRAHK PALACE, SMALL CHAMBER - DAY

where Devati's body lies on an altar-like stone. She is still unconscious. We watch from behind as a tall, slender creature called a LOJIEZ walks slowly into the room. He seems an elegant, yet convoluted mass of golden-touched blue tubing, except for his face, which is more simplified, as well as strikingly beautiful and serene. The creature is wearing a blue cape about his shoulders, and a tattered pair of pants.

As he approaches Devati's form, he pauses a moment to retrieve something from his pocket. He holds in his hand a piece of quartz. It GLOWS, almost as if it recognizes this creature - it is Fillitt, in another form. He mumbles these words as he toys with the stone:

He glances up at her body.

Fillitt completes his journey to her unconscious figure and gives her a once-over. Stealthily, he places the quartz in her pocket before pulling a bag of sand from his pocket. As he sprinkles some of the sand over her, he mumbles some words.

She begins to awaken, with difficulty. She is in some physical pain, but she overcomes it quickly. Staring at Fillitt with a confused expression, she manages to sit up. She is examining her surroundings with a disturbing lack of recognition. When she does not venture to speak, Fillitt breaks the silence:

She observes her hands as one who has never seen their own hands before, then gives Fillitt a side-long glance that more than convinces us that she awoke on the wrong side of the bed.

Fillit chuckles with slight discomfort, cautiously watching her behavior. Does she know what happened after all? He does not see any motions toward violence; she merely moves to a seated position and stretches, showing signs of both pain and relief.

She continues on in silence, making no efforts toward conversation.

Finally, she turns her gaze toward Fillitt. He smiles as if happily waiting to respond to any questions. When several moments pass with her same silent, cryptic stare, he begins to speak, obviously nervous due to her odd behavior:

Devati considers the question, and her expression softens; it is apparent that she has no clue to how she got there, and does not know many other things.

He waits for a response and continues when there is none.

Devati responds by curtly shaking her head.

Fillitt glances uneasily at the doorway, as if being watched. It looks as if he is debating on whether or not to tell her the truth. His fear of punishment apparently gets the better of him, and he speaks.

As they walk toward the hallway, Fillitt asks as an afterthought:

Devati does not speak as the two eventually enter the

INT. MAIN CHAMBER OF THE MENRAHK PALACE - DAY

and stop at a position that is at least twenty feet away from the menacing Menrahk. The room is conveniently clear of any of the Keepers, and the sculpture that once encased Devati is gone.

(stressing the next words)

Devati eyes them both suspiciously as they speak of her as if she weren't in the room.

He pauses as if waiting for a name. When she does not respond, Fillitt offers the information:

Devati steps forward with a proud, steady gait. Once she has stopped at a comfortable distance, Yus-Rahk continues:

Devati strays little from her mellow, but somehow threatening consistency in tone:

(cocks her head with a slanting brow)

A silence ensues as it becomes apparent that their tactics meant to convince Devati of the fabrication are not so convincing. However, Yus-Rahk in his cunning makes a last attempt:

Devati becomes dark and pensive, and finally steals a glance at Fillitt, a kind soul whose demeanor has always seemed openly kind and helpful. She looks up resolutely with burning eyes, and gives her answer directly:

Fillitt bows and runs to acquire a sword.

Fillitt enters, carrying an old, but beautiful sword. He hands it, sheathed, to Devati. The Geile slings it over her shoulder, and begins walking toward the door. Fillitt hurries to walk before her, and motions her in a different direction.

Fillitt leads her silently through the dark tunnels of the palace, and they finally reach a grand doorway of carved sandstone that opens to reveal a bright, and endless desert.

Fillitt fumbles a bit, unsure of what to say. Finally he speaks nervously:

Devati does not acknowledge what she apparently views to be a useless statement.

He seems to fumble again over whether or not to reveal the truth. When she begins to walk away, he grabs her arm impulsively. She does not speak, but her expression seems to say, "Yes?" He looks intensely at her for a moment before sighing and breaking down again.

Devati shows vague signs of being touched by his words. Though she does not smile, he is obviously filled with joy when she grips his arm in a warm manner, gazes into his eyes, then releases her grip to begin her journey across the hot, golden desert.

He stands vigilantly until she has walked a good distance before he finally goes back into the palace. We CUT immediately to a view in the

INT. MAIN CHAMBER OF THE MENRAHK PALACE - DUSK

The Menrahk wait silently as a creature shuffles into the room. It is Fillitt, in his true form as a Keeper.