Branch 2: The Verse
🎬 Premise
A young man is watching a video about biblical contradictions in the middle of the night. But among the verses shown, one appears that should not exist. It’s not in any Bible. It’s not in the original video. Only he can see it.
And once he reads it, he can no longer stop hearing it.
Narrative Sequence
Act 1 – Introduction
Dimly lit room, 2:47 AM.
The protagonist (we can call him Elías) is lying down, watching a YouTube video titled “The Bible Contradictions Nobody Wants You to See.”
The video’s tone is sarcastic, casual, yet informative.
It cuts between Bible passages, religious paintings, and commentary from the creator.
Suddenly, for just a fleeting frame, almost subliminal—
Elías rewinds.
He freezes the frame. There’s a text that wasn’t in the video before. It reads:
“Verse 0:
And he who beholds the creator outside of time,
shall also see the void that beholds him.”
The text has no source or translation. It seems to have emerged from nothing, inserting itself into digital reality.
Act 2 – The Whisper
That night, Elías cannot sleep.
Every time he closes his eyes, he hears a distant voice whispering the verse. Sometimes it’s in his own voice. Sometimes in voices like his mother’s, a child’s, or someone weeping.
He begins to notice strange things in his room:
- The mirror doesn’t reflect his movements in sync.
- A painting of a religious figure seems to have eyes slightly shifted out of place.
- A corner of his room, which he’s never paid attention to before, now terrifies him. There’s nothing there, but… he feels that there is something.
He starts getting flashes, as if he were glimpsing another version of his room, darker, with symbols etched into the walls. Just for a second—long enough to question his perception.
Act 3 – Dissociation
Elías starts talking to himself. Sometimes he records it to understand what he’s saying, but when he plays the recordings back, they’re not his words. It’s the verse, spoken in different languages: Latin, Greek, Aramaic.
He doesn’t know any of these languages.
One night, he wakes up in his chair, facing the mirror. But he doesn’t remember getting up. He’s there, staring at himself.
The camera lingers: Elías, in silence, watching his reflection.
His reflection doesn’t blink.
The boundary between his identity and something “other” begins to dissolve.
Climax
Elías tries searching for “Verse 0” online. It doesn’t exist. No Bibles, no manuscripts, not even conspiracy forums. But every time he searches, the page glitches and instead shows:
“You already read it.”
One night, he’s sitting on his bed.
The verse sounds again, but this time with a deep resonance, as if it were coming from within him.
He rises, slowly walks toward the dark corner of the room.
There’s a human silhouette crouched, like in prayer, but deformed. It seems to be murmuring.
Elías kneels. He leans close to the figure’s ear. He listens.
It’s repeating the verse.
Elías asks:
“What comes after?”
The figure slowly raises its head.
It’s himself, but with his mouth sewn shut and eyes completely black. The figure speaks without moving its lips:
“You already knew.”
Ending
Elías wakes up in his bed.
Everything looks normal.
The clock reads 2:47 AM. The same time as always. The video is still playing. As if nothing ever happened.
But on the screen, the YouTuber looks directly at the camera for the first time and says:
“Now that you’ve read it, all that’s left… is for Him to look back at you.”
Cut to black. Silence.
Visual & Technical Elements
- Color palette: Gradual transition from warm to cold tones as the story progresses
- Composition: Use of negative space and uneasy angles to build tension
- Visual effects: Subtle digital glitches increasing in frequency and intensity
- Sound design: Layers of whispers and subliminal frequencies to provoke unease
Themes Explored
- The nature of forbidden knowledge
- The thin line between revelation and madness
- Time as a fragile human construct
- The horror of being watched by something incomprehensible
Production Notes
- Shoot in 4:3 format to emphasize claustrophobia
- Use editing techniques that suggest subtle time skips
- Work with a linguist to create convincing versions of “Verse 0” in ancient languages
- Consider binaural sound to increase immersion and discomfort
This narrative branch draws inspiration from elements of Lovecraftian cosmic horror, combined with the concept of kenosis (divine self-emptying) and the tradition of apocryphal texts.
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