OPENING SCENE
[PALACE HALL - MORNING]
Courtiers gather in hushed tones. Aryan sits beside the king, now visibly weaker.
PRIEST (to the court)
The sacred fire in the Temple of the Fallen Star has gone dark. The last time this happened... a war followed.
MINISTER
It is an omen. Perhaps the gods reject the boy prince.
Whispers rise. Aryan tenses.
KING SAMUDRASEN (weakly)
Then let the prince relight the flame.
SCENE 2: PREPARATION
[PALACE ARMORY - DAY]
Bhairav hands Aryan a dagger, not a sword.
BHAIRAV
This is not a war of steel. Temples test the soul.
ARYAN
But what am I supposed to do?
BHAIRAV
If the gods have brought you here, boy... perhaps they'll answer you themselves.
Rani Devika hands Aryan an old scroll with temple markings.
RANI DEVIKA
Don't follow the path. Follow the echoes.
SCENE 3: JOURNEY TO THE TEMPLE
Aryan, Bhairav, and two guards ride through ancient jungle paths. Mist coils through trees. Monkeys chatter, eerie wind whistles.
Camera widens to reveal the temple in the distance: jagged, star-shaped spires, overgrown and ancient.
ARYAN (softly)
It looks... broken.
BHAIRAV
Even broken things can hold power.
SCENE 4: ENTERING THE TEMPLE
They enter. Statues stare with hollow eyes. The central chamber is dark-except for a shattered pedestal.
GUARD (whispers)
Where is the flame?
RANI DEVIKA (remembered voice)
Follow the echoes.
Aryan closes his eyes. Hears soft whispers-like chanting. He follows it down a hidden corridor.
SCENE 5: THE TRIAL
A glowing crystal hovers above a stone bowl. Symbols light up on the walls. Aryan steps forward. A phantom version of himself appears, cloaked in shadows.
SHADOW ARYAN
You don't belong here. You're not a prince. You're a scared boy playing a game.
ARYAN (quietly)
Maybe. But I came anyway.
He steps toward the crystal. The shadow lunges-but he doesn't flinch. He plunges his hand into the light.
The room explodes in brightness.
SCENE 6: THE FLAME RETURNS
[EXT. TEMPLE - DAWN]
Outside, a pillar of golden fire erupts from the temple spire. Villagers far below gasp and kneel. The flame has returned.
BHAIRAV (softly)
He did it...
FINAL MOMENT - THE HOOK
A spy kneels before the rival king, Raja Varundev-a ruthless, sharp-eyed man.
SPY
The prince lit the flame.
RAJA VARUNDEV
Then the gods truly protect him...
(beat)
We'll see how long that lasts.
FADE TO BLACK.
[TITLE CARD]
THE LAST PRINCE OF KALIGARH
Episode 4: "The Temple of the Fallen Star"
[TEASER - NEXT EPISODE]
"Next time: A hidden betrayal, a midnight chase, and the first blood spilled."