….

  [July 27th, 2010]

  ….

  Regal sat over his desk, surrounded by stacks of refereerials and scattered notes.

  It had beehree weeks since he had returned from the UK.

  His eyes were fixed owo script drafts dispyed on his ptop, the result of three grueling weeks of work.

  His workspace was a mess, but it would have been worse if it weren't for someone's work - anyway he didn't like to be bothered with something like that now.

  On the s, the drafts sat side by side, demanding his attention.

  One was beled [Trash].

  The other is [Det].

  The first recisely what its name suggested - the exact copy version of the flix's [Death Note] movie script he had received from the system.

  Other than the ged US setting and a few names, it was a copy - not a period, not a a out of pce, and that was the problem.

  For now, he moved on.

  Instead, he clicked open the sed file.

  This version was different. It is written from the ground up, and also it resembled the anime version far more closely than the live-a script ever did.

  He had to rely on his memory, his [Writer] skill, and no small amount of sheer creativity to restruct step by step as faithfully as possible.

  Thus began the process of ceptualizing the ses, characters, their retionships, background, and their motives, pieg them together sensibly, and ensuring every crucial moment hit just as it should.

  It took him nearly two weeks and three days to get satisfied with the version.

  He only stopped whehi right. Or at least, it would have - if not for one gring issue.

  Regal's eyes flicked to the page t at the bottom of the s.

  [Script Length: 312 Pages]

  He exhaled sharply, rubbing his .

  Three and a half hours. That's the estimated runtime of the film if shot as it is.

  Obviously, that was too long - for example [Following] final draft was exactly [115] pages. And, ure film could afford that runtime, not unless he wao gamble on a duology movie, which he wasn't very keen on options for him.

  He o cut it down to [120] pages at the very least - and that meant making tough choices.

  "Alright." Regal murmured, pulling up his notes. "What has to stay?"

  The noiables.

  The plot and ses made the story what it was.

  ….

  And just like that, the real work began.

  He trimmed off any ses that didn't leave any impact or help the plot move forward or the main characters' establishments.

  Simirly, his eyes flicked across the pages of his script, sing for the moments that defihe story - the ohat couldn't be sacrificed.

  Light's first kill - His rebirth as Kira.

  There is something spellbinding about his breakdown moment - the tension, his mistrust of the power of the book and its cims, but clear intrigue to try it, and finally, the sheer gravity when he realized that it was indeed real.

  In addition, the fact that there is an eerie creature - Ryuk, g to be Shinigami, following him around.

  Regal believed it would be the final nail for the audieo be pletely immersed in the movie's dark and twisted theme it set and will tio follow - without these, the entire foundation of the story would deteriorate.

  He tapped his fingers oable as he even began to imagihe iic background score as he suddenly jumped onto another iic se - the potato chip moment.

  It had bee a meme, but beyond that, it was a mastercss iion, a perfect showcase of Light's ingness and his ability to notice the slightest ges in his surroundings while adapting to the most disadvantageous situation of being watched in his own room.

  If dht, it could be one of the most gripping moments of the film.

  Opps, I got carried away. Regal thought of cheg himself bad returo defining the plot of the whole film.

  Light and L - their first enter.

  Kira vs. L - their first frontation through the television.

  Their battle of wits was the very heart of [Death Note]. At least one major showdowween them had to be kept intact, preferably ohat captured their ever-esg psychological warfare.

  Then came Naomi Misora's death - one of the te, most thrilling moments in the series, a testament to Light's ruthlessness and brilliance.

  There were a few more key moments, but those were the ones he knew, without a doubt, had to stay.

  His fingers did not hesitate as he started typing, shaping a version of the script that kept the essence of [Death Note] intact while cutting away the excess.

  The focus would be sharp - Light and L's psychological chess match. The moral ambiguity of Light's as would remain front aer, f the audieo stantly questioheir sympathies should lie.

  With that settled, he turo what o be revised.

  The subplots - few arvolving sedary characters like Misa, Near, and Mello - would have to be pressed or restructured.

  The anime had the luxury of time, but a film couldn't afford to stray too far from the tral narrative. Filler iions, no matter how charming or atmospheric, had to go. Anything that didn't push the plot forward would only slow things down.

  The same went for the extended iigations. While they added depth in the proceedings, the film demanded a much tighter pace.

  As the process tinued, Regal found himself growing more fident.

  This version should work - of course, there is still a lot to do.

  The reason most adaptations, not just anime, in general, and most any form of adaptations fail - he knew, not only due to poor execution -

  It was the overwhelming shadow of their inal terparts.

  Simirly, the [Death Note], even before it was released, received a ive response from a se of fans due to their streak of corrupting the inal …and unfortuheir fears came true.

  The inal had already set the bar so impossibly high, it left the live-a version tle beh the weight of expectation, marginally falling short of the vision fans held in their minds.

  But in this world?

  There was no [Death Note].

  Meaning, no decades of nostalgia ting a definitive version in people's hearts or a t standard Regal had to match.

  That alone lifted half the weight from his shoulders. In fact, this drove him to make it even more of a masterpiece.

  His eyes flicked to the clock, still a few hours until midnight.

  He could feel the dull pull of the heaviness of his eyelids creeping in, but resting now or breaking his current streak wasn't an option.

  There was too much left to do and for some reason he felt like he could do it nardless of the exhaustion. Pressing his back against his chair, he stood, stretched, and chewed a chocote bar to shake off the stiffness.

  The city lights outside flickered against the window, a faint glow spilling into the dim room.

  Not moments ter, after trying out different postures, he sat down again, fingers h over the keyboard as he immersed himself in the script.

  He began fiuning the pag, ensuring each se transitioned seamlessly into the .

  Now, all that remained was ensuring the script fit a tight two-hour runtime.

  Every se, every line had to serve a purpose. Nothing wasted. The pag had to be relentless, tension building with eaent, driving the story forward without a single misstep.

  In his mind, he could visually see all the ses all unfolding .

  Light's calm, calg demeanor.

  L's unorthodox yet razor-sharp methods.

  Ryuk's detached amusement as he watched everything spiral into chaos.

  The world of [Death Note] was vivid in his mind, and as the hours passed in a blur, he worked tirelessly t it to life.

  ….

  Regal was so focused that he didn't notice a new i popping up on his [System] panel.

  It lihere for a sed, blinking expetly, before he brushed it off without a sed thought. He wasn't in a state to cheything else.

  Not now. His only priority was writing.

  ….

  When he finally looked up, the first rays of dawn were breaking over the horizon.

  The dim glow of his ptop s paled against the soft golden light spilling into the room. His fingers slowed down, moving for a moment before pletely halting, muscles stiff from hours of typing.

  The script was ing together, and the rough edges were smoothing out, piece by piece.

  It wasn't perfect yet, but it was beginning to take shape - not just as a story, but as an experience he wahe audieo feel.

  "…So, done?" A voice broke the silence.

  ?!..!!Regal snapped his head toward the sound.

  Gwendolyn stood by the door, arms crossed, one brow slightly raised.

  There was something in her hand… a script? Regal thought, but she closed the file a aside, her focus entirely on him.

  "Wha–no, when did you eve here?" He was caught off guard by her sudden appearance, pushed back his chair and rubbed the drowsiness from his eyes as he stood up.

  He saved the file with a slow breath before stepping away from his desk. His back ached from sitting too long, but the sight of her standing there made him fet the fatigue for a moment. With a small, tired smile, he walked over to the other side of the table - toward her.

  As soon as he was within reach, she ed her arms around him in a warm, lingering hug.

  Regal didn't hesitate to return the gesture.

  "...you look a little worried?" After a moment, he murmured into her ear while studying her rea.

  .

  ….

  [To be tinued…]

  ★─────??★??─────★

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