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Main Characters:
Oliver
Shadow
Genre:
Dark fiction
"Villain within" trope
Scene 1:
Setting: Oliver’s home. The kitchen table is littered with school report cards, all showing failing grades. His father sits across from him, shaking his head in disappointment. His mother stands nearby, arms crossed, visibly upset.
Dialogue:
Father: "I don’t understand how you can be so useless, Oliver. You’re failing in every subject! Don’t you have any sense of responsibility?"
Mother: "Other kids of your age are excelling. You’re not even trying. It’s embarrassing to even call you our son."
Oliver(softly): "I... I’m trying."
Days passes by and Oliver get used to these tantrums now.
Scene 2:
Setting: A quiet, dimly lit classroom, during a math lesson. The teacher is at the front, writing equations on the board while Oliver sits at the back, staring blankly at his paper. Other students are busy, working in groups, laughing quietly with each other.
Oliver feels the cold sting of isolation. He can hear the murmurs, the whispers behind him, though they are never directly spoken to his face. His classmates talk about sports, parties, grades—things that seem foreign to him. Even when the teacher calls on him, it’s always with an edge of impatience.
Teacher (stern): “Oliver, are you even paying attention? You’ve been staring at that blank paper for fifteen minutes. This is basic algebra.”
Oliver (mumbling): “I’m trying…”
Teacher (shaking her head): “Trying is not enough, Oliver. You need to stop daydreaming and start focusing. At this rate, you’re going to fail—again.”
The snickers from the class make Oliver's cheeks burn. He hunches over his desk, wishing he could disappear. This has been his reality for years—failing grades, no friends, and constant disappointment from his teachers and family. He feels like a ghost among the living, moving through life without leaving a trace.
Scene 3:
Setting: School hallway. Oliver walks through, keeping his head down, avoiding eye contact. A group of seniors approaches, grinning mischievously.
Description:
Oliver felt the eyes on him, the whispers growing louder as he passed by. The hallway stretched endlessly before him, but escape felt impossible.
Dialogue:
Senior 1: "Hey, loser! Still failing every test?"
Senior 2: "Maybe you’d do better if you had some friends. Oh wait, nobody wants to hang out with a failure."
Senior 3: "He doesn’t even play sports. Probably can’t even throw a ball."
Oliver (to himself): "Just keep walking. Don’t respond. Don’t react."
It wasn’t just about being bad at school. It was everything. He couldn’t make friends, couldn’t play sports, couldn’t even find the courage to talk back. His body moved, but inside, he felt numb. Each insult chipped away at him, piece by piece.
Scene 4:
Setting: On the next day, the classroom is buzzing. Oliver, sitting at the back, struggles with his science assignment.
Ms. Harris: "Oliver, why isn’t your assignment finished? Do you even try?"
Ethan: (snickers) "Probably waiting for us to explain it again."
Sarah: (mocking) "Or maybe his brain just gave up."
(The class laughs as Oliver looked down, staying silent.)
Setting: In the cafeteria, Oliver sits alone, overhearing his classmates at a nearby table.
Ethan: "He bombed another test. Might as well drop out now."
Sarah: "He’d be better off working at his dad’s shop."
(They laugh. Oliver stares at his lunch, fists clenched, and quickly leaves.)
Setting: Outside Ms. Harris’ office after school. Oliver nervously steps inside.
Oliver: "Ms. Harris, I’m really trying, but it’s hard. Can I get extra help?"
Ms. Harris: (coldly) "You need to keep up like everyone else, Oliver. I can’t hold your hand."
(Oliver swallows hard, nods, and leaves, feeling defeated.)
Scene 5:
Setting: Oliver’s room. After another exhausting day at school and a harsh lecture from his parents, Oliver collapses into bed. His mind is heavy, his heart heavier.
Description:
Oliver’s eyelids fluttered shut, and in the space between sleep and wakefulness, he felt... something shift. The air became cooler, his body lighter, as if he were floating. He opened his eyes and found himself in a dark, ethereal space. Before him stood a grand mirror, adorned with delicate lilies, glowing softly in the dim light.
Dialogue:
Oliver (startled): "Where am I?"
Reflection of Oliver in the mirror named, Shadow replied: "Welcome, Oliver."
Oliver: "Who are you?"
Shadow: "I am your friend. Call me Shadow."
Oliver (confused): "Friend?"
Shadow: "Yes. Someone who understands you, someone who listens."
Oliver (softly, almost in disbelief): "I... don’t have any friends."
Shadow: "Now, you do."
Oliver(to himself): "Although I was seeing him for the first time but I felt something in him...maybe...something that I can call mine"
For the first time, he wasn’t alone. Shadow’s voice was gentle, unlike the harsh voices of his parents or the mocking tones of his classmates. Shadow didn’t judge him, didn’t insult him. He listened. And Oliver had so much to say.
Scene 6:
Setting: Night after night, Oliver eagerly falls asleep, just to meet Shadow again in his dreams. Their conversations grow longer and more personal.
Description:
Each night, the mirror welcomed him back with its soft glow. Shadow was always there, waiting, as if time didn’t exist in this strange dream world. Oliver shared everything—the bullying, the disappointment, the loneliness. And Shadow always listened, always offered comfort.
Dialogue:
Oliver: "Why can’t I be like the other kids? Why can’t I do anything right?"
Shadow: "Because you are different, Oliver. And that’s not a bad thing. The world doesn’t understand you, but I do."
Oliver: "But it hurts... being alone."
Shadow: "You’re not alone anymore. As long as you come here, I’ll always be with you."
Oliver: "I wish I could stay here forever, with you."
Shadow(softly): "One day, maybe you will."
Shadow’s words soothed the ache in his chest, even if only for a little while. In his waking life, he continued to suffer—his parents’ disappointment, his classmates’ bullying—but in his dreams, with Shadow, he felt a glimmer of peace.
Scene 7:
Setting: Oliver finds himself in a vibrant, dreamlike field filled with golden sunlight. The air feels light, and Shadow, in his usual mirror form, stands before him, now more animated, reflecting Oliver’s joyful expression.
Oliver: (grinning) "You think you can catch me, Shadow?"
Shadow: (laughing through the reflection) "I’m part of you, Oliver. I already know your every move!"
(Oliver darts forward, running through the field as Shadow’s reflection keeps up, mirroring him perfectly. Oliver laughs, feeling free of the pressures of reality. As they playfully chase one another, Shadow’s reflection cheers him on.)
Shadow: (joyfully) "Look at you, Oliver! This is who you really are—free, unburdened, unstoppable!"
(Oliver stops, breathing heavily but smiling wide.)
Oliver: "I wish I could feel like this all the time."
Shadow: (softly) "You can, Oliver. This joy, this lightness—it’s inside you. When the world gets heavy, remember this moment. You’ll always have this part of you."
(Oliver smiles as they sit together in the field, basking in the golden glow, feeling lighter than he ever has in waking life.)
Scene 8:
Setting: Oliver’s home and school. Oliver’s obsession with mirrors grows. He begins cleaning and decorating the mirrors in his house, even though they don’t speak to him like Shadow does.
Description:
Oliver stood in front of the bathroom mirror, wiping it meticulously with a cloth. He placed a small vase of lilies next to it, hoping it might evoke the feeling of his dream. But nothing happened. Still, the act of caring for the mirror brought him comfort, a small connection to the world where he felt loved.
Dialogue:
Mother(angry): "Why are you wasting time cleaning mirrors when you should be studying?!"
Oliver(distantly): "It’s... important to me."
Mother: "Important? You’re failing your classes, and this is what you focus on?"
They didn’t understand. None of them understood. Only Shadow knew. Only Shadow cared.
(Oliver without listening to his mom keep decorating his affection to the mirrors.)
Scene 9:
Setting: School hallway. One day, Oliver, tired of being pushed around, finally stands up for another student being bullied though he was not protecting the guy but the glass which those bullies were about to through on that student but everyone thought he protected the student since no one knows his obsession to mirrors. In the heat of the moment, he grabs a metal object and strikes one of the seniors.
Description:
The metal object hits against the senior’s shoulder, and for a moment, everything stopped. The bullies stared at Oliver in shock, before anger flared in their eyes. One of them grabbed a heavy box and threw it with all his might. Oliver saw it coming. Saw it hurtling toward the large window behind him.
Dialogue:
Senior (furious): "You’re dead, Oliver!"
Oliver: "No..."
Description:
Time seemed to slow as the box collided with the glass. The window shattered, and for the briefest moment, Oliver saw his reflection in the glass—fractured into a thousand pieces. His heart seized in his chest as the shards fell to the floor. He collected those broken pieces of the window and went back to his home with a heart full of burden though he didn't realize it was not just a window.
Scene 10:
Setting: Oliver’s bedroom. After the incident, Oliver becomes more withdrawn. He tries desperately to sleep, to return to Shadow, but every time he closes his eyes, the shattered glass haunts him.
Description:
Oliver tossed and turned in his bed, but sleep refused to come. Every time his eyelids fluttered shut, he saw the window breaking. He called out for Shadow, but the mirror in his dreams was gone. He didn't understand what was happening? Why can't he sleep? But he was scared if he lost his only friend. In fear of his lose, his hands start shaking causing him a big trauma.
Dialogue:
Oliver: "Shadow... please, come back. Don’t leave me."
No response.
Without Shadow, the world felt empty again. The voices of his parents, his teachers, his classmates grew louder in his head, echoing endlessly. He couldn’t bear it anymore. Without Shadow, he was nothing.
Scene 11:
Setting: In Evening, Oliver was sitting in the living room staring at a mirror. He stared at the mirror so hard that for a moment, he thought his resting face changes his expression in the mirror which remind him of Shadow since Shadow talks to Oliver through Oliver's reflection in the mirror of his dream.
Dialogues:
Oliver (in his thoughts): Won't I gonna see Shadow again? What will happen if I won't be able to meet him again? This world feels terrible. What if I couldn't survive longer? Do I have to live without Shadow now?
(Oliver was so immersed in his thoughts that his body started shaking due to his fear.)
Oliver's Mom (tapping his shoulder harshly): "I have been calling you for about 10 minutes. Don't you have ears to hear me?"
Oliver (felt scared due to his mom's touch): "I didn't hear that. Sorry... Why were you calling me?"
Oliver's Mom: "Come and help me with cleaning the garden."
Oliver(taking a deep sigh): ...Okay, I am coming."
While cleaning the garden, Oliver saw a pack of sleeping pills of his dad at the ground. He took those pills and hide it in his pocket. He went to his room and excitedly took those pills. He was so excited that instead of taking 1,2 pills, he took 4 pills to sleep longer so he could meet him for a long time. Somehow, he was able to sleep and could meet Shadow.
Oliver (after watching Shadow behind a tree, shattered petals of lilies around him): "What happened to you, my friend?"
Shadow: "Oh, Oliver! You are here? How did you come?"
Oliver: "I came to see you. I couldn't able to sleep so i took pills to meet you. What happened? Why are you hiding from me?"
Shadow: "You did that for me? How sweet of you."
Scene 12:
Setting: Oliver’s house. After the glass-breaking incident at school, Oliver develops an even deeper obsession with mirrors, convinced that he can bring Shadow back if he finds the "right" one.
Description:
He scoured old shops, looking for antique mirrors. His room was soon filled with mirrors of all shapes and sizes, each positioned just so, in the hope that Shadow would return. His parents grew more distant, their frustration turning into a cold indifference.
Dialogue:
Mother (scared): "What is all this? These mirrors... Oliver, they’re everywhere!"
Oliver (whispering): "I need them. Shadow will come back if I find the right one."
Oliver couldn’t explain it to them. They wouldn’t understand. Shadow was real, and he needed to find him again. Just one more mirror, just one more chance.
Scene 13:
Setting: Oliver’s bedroom, surrounded by mirrors. He begins hearing Shadow’s voice, but it’s darker, more demanding. Shadow tells him that there is only one way they can be reunited.
Description:
The voice was soft at first, just a whisper. But as days passed, it grew louder, more insistent. Shadow was calling him, telling him what to do. But this time, it wasn’t about friendship. It was about something more sinister.
Dialogue:
Shadow (whispering): "Oliver... break the mirrors. Free me, and we can be together."
Oliver: "But... how?"
Shadow: "Shatter them, all of them.
Then, I’ll be with you forever."
Fear gnawed at him, but so did the longing. He wanted Shadow back, needed him. The voice promised so much, and Oliver was willing to do anything to have that sense of belonging again. He was just an innocent teenager and Shadow started provoking him to do what he says.
Scene 14:
Setting: Oliver’s room. In a moment of desperation, Oliver picks up a hammer and smashes the first mirror. The sound of the glass breaking sends a shiver down his spine as he was just a 14 years old kid, but the exhilaration is undeniable.
Description:
The hammer came down hard, the mirror shattering into a million glittering pieces. Oliver’s heart raced as the shards scattered across the floor. For a brief moment, he saw his reflection in the broken glass, smiling back at him.
Dialogue:
Oliver: "Shadow... is that you?"
Shadow (whispering): "Yes, Oliver. Keep going. Break them all."
The sound of the breaking glass was like music, each shatter a step closer to Shadow. He was coming back, he had to be. Oliver felt alive, for the first time in so long.
Scene 15:
Setting: Oliver’s house. Over the next few days, Oliver’s obsession spirals out of control. He smashes mirror after mirror, losing touch with reality. His parents are terrified, but they don’t know how to reach him anymore.
Description:
The house was a mess of broken glass, shards littering every room. Oliver moved through it like a man possessed, his eyes wild, his hands trembling as he smashed mirror after mirror. His parents watched from a distance, too scared to intervene.
Dialogue:
Father(yelling): "What are you doing?! Have you lost your mind?"
Oliver (frantic): "Shadow’s coming! I just need to break one more!"
Mother (crying): "Please, Oliver, stop. You’re scaring us."
Their voices barely registered. All Oliver could hear was Shadow’s voice, urging him on, pushing him to break more, to free him. The sound of shattering glass was all that mattered now.
Scene 16:
Setting: Oliver’s room. The last mirror stands before him, untouched. It’s the largest one, the one he believes will finally bring Shadow back for good.
Description:
Oliver stood before the mirror, hammer in hand. This was the one, the mirror that would bring Shadow back. His heart pounded in his chest, his breath coming in short, ragged gasps. He could almost see Shadow’s reflection, waiting for him.
Dialogue:
Shadow (softly): "One more, Oliver. Just one more, and we’ll be together forever."
Oliver(whispering): "I’ll do it. I’ll free you."
Shadow: "Do it now."
His hand shook as he raised the hammer. This was it. This was the moment he’d been waiting for. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and swung.
Scene 17:
Setting: Oliver’s room, post-smash. The mirror shatters, but instead of freedom, Oliver is faced with the horrifying realization that Shadow was never real. His mind cracks under the weight of the truth.
Description:
The mirror exploded into a thousand pieces, the shards raining down around him. But instead of Shadow, all Oliver saw was his own reflection, broken and distorted in the shattered glass. The voice was gone, the warmth was gone. All that was left was emptiness.
Dialogue:
Oliver (whispering): "Shadow? Where are you?!"
No response.
It had all been a lie. Shadow wasn’t real. He never was. Oliver’s knees buckled, and he collapsed to the floor, his hands trembling as he stared at the broken glass around him. He was alone. Truly, completely alone.
Scene 18:
Setting: Oliver’s room. After the final mirror is shattered, Oliver sits amidst the broken glass, his mind shattered along with it. His parents call for help, but it’s too late.
Description:
Oliver sat in the middle of the room, surrounded by shards of glass, his body shaking as tears streamed down his face. His parents stood in the doorway, horrified by what they saw. His mother reached for the phone, her hands trembling as she dialed for help.
Dialogue:
Mother (crying): "Please, someone, help. He’s not well. He’s... he’s lost his mind."
Oliver (softly): "Shadow... come back..."
The world around him blurred, his mind spiraling into darkness. He couldn’t think, couldn’t feel anything but the crushing weight of his own isolation. Shadow was gone, and there was nothing left for him.
Scene 19:
Setting: The psychiatric ward. Oliver is admitted to a mental health facility after the incident, but he remains unresponsive, trapped in his own mind.
Description:
The white walls of the hospital room felt cold and sterile. Oliver sat by the window, staring out at the world beyond, but not truly seeing it. His parents visited every day, but he barely acknowledged them. The doctors spoke in hushed tones, discussing his condition, but their words felt distant, meaningless.
Dialogue:
Doctor: "He’s not responding to treatment. It’s like he’s... shut down completely."
Mother (crying): "Will he ever come back to us?"
Doctor: "We’re doing everything we can, but... it’s hard to say."
Oliver’s mind was a maze of shattered memories and broken dreams. Shadow was gone, and with him, the last piece of Oliver’s sanity. He felt like a ghost, wandering through his own life, disconnected from everything and everyone around him.
Scene 20:
Setting: Oliver’s hospital room, at night. As Oliver lies in bed, he hears the familiar voice of Shadow once more, calling to him from the darkness.
Description:
The room was dark and quiet, the soft hum of the hospital machines the only sound. But then, from the shadows, a voice whispered to him—soft, gentle, familiar.
Dialogue:
Shadow (softly): "Oliver... I’m still here."
Oliver (whispering): "Shadow? Is that you?"
Shadow: "Yes, my friend. I never left you."
Oliver (desperate): "But... I thought you were gone. I thought... you weren’t real."
Shadow (soothing): "I’m always with you, Oliver. I’ll never leave you."
A part of him knew it wasn’t real, that the voice was just a figment of his fractured mind. But in that moment, he didn’t care. Shadow was back, and for the first time in what felt like forever, Oliver didn’t feel alone.
Scene 21:
Setting: The hospital, at night. Oliver makes his way to the hospital bathroom, where a large mirror hangs on the wall. He stares at his reflection, seeing Shadow’s face looking back at him.
Description:
The hospital bathroom was cold and dimly lit, the mirror above the sink reflecting a ghostly version of Oliver’s face. But as he stared into the glass, his reflection shifted, and there, staring back at him, was Shadow.
Dialogue: 28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyWmSBCkAUd
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Shadow (softly): "It’s time, Oliver. We can finally be together." 28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡurfvDZPkpx
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Oliver (whispering): "Together?" 28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAXTWR3nQyx
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Shadow: "Yes. Break the mirror, Oliver. Break it, and you’ll be free." 28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ26WK53nko
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Oliver (nervously): "But... what if it doesn’t work?" 28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7sk0RVGHUD
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Shadow: "Trust me. I’ve never let you down, have I?"
His heart raced as he reached for the hammer he had hidden under his hospital bed. This was it. The final escape. The moment he had been waiting for. All he had to do was break the mirror, and he and Shadow would finally be together.
Scene 22:
Setting: The hospital bathroom. Oliver smashes the mirror, but instead of freedom, he is consumed by his own delusions, lost forever in the darkness of his mind.
Description: 28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5mhVAXs6rE
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The mirror shattered into a million pieces, the shards falling around him like rain. For a brief moment, Oliver thought he saw Shadow standing before him, smiling. But then, as the last piece of glass hit the floor, the image faded, and Oliver was left alone in the darkness.
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Oliver (whispering): "Shadow... where are you?" 28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5VIpDReYfI
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No response.
The truth hit him like a wave, crushing him under its weight. Shadow was gone. He had always been gone. And now, so was Oliver. He took the huge mirror from the bathroom and placed it on the ceiling. He could see his whole body through the mirror. Oliver threw the hammer to the ceiling while lying on the ground of bathroom. The mirror broke in thousands of pieces. As the breaking sound of mirror was heard, timing got stopped. Hammer in the air, pieces of mirror in the air just stopped for a moment and in the next minute, the shattered mirror with hammer drop on the body of Oliver leaving him flooded with blood and scars.
Ending Description: 28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgedF6vl8jj
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Oliver collapsed to the floor, his body trembling as the darkness consumed him. In his mind, the shattered pieces of his life floated aimlessly, never to be put back together. The boy who had once sought connection, who had once believed in the warmth of another’s presence, was now lost forever, trapped in the endless void of his own madness.His hand, bloodied from the broken glass, finally stilled as the sharp edges of the mirror claimed his life.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsFvWvRFdls
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