International Comic/Manga School Contest 2023 Storyboard Category　Manuscript text (Provided by: Booklive)

● Theme: Light and Darkness

Characters, personalities, and relationships

• A light wizard boy (12-13 yrs old) named “Beacon”
  He is a childhood friend of a dark wizard, and considers him as a younger brother.
  He is very talented and thinks of himself second. He wants to become a strong wizard who uses magic for others.
  He has many friends and is a model student.
• A dark wizard boy (12-13 yrs old) named “Noir”
  Childhood friend of Beacon.
  He is a very hard worker and hates to lose. He used to have the same dream as Beacon, to become strong and use magic for others, but now has come to dislike how Beacon does not use magic for himself.
  His quiet manner and unfriendly nature has left him friendless. To him, the light wizard from his childhood is not a friend, he is an eternal rival.

Setting

A dignified magic school with a long history

Story

★Magic school grounds★

Beacon and Noir are competing against each other surrounded by spectators. A large ball of light energy collides against a ball of darkness.
Noir: “Dammit!”
The dark wizard gets blown off his feet
Beacon: “I win again!”
Beacon offers a hand to Noir.
Noir wordlessly brushes his hand away.
Spectator(s): “Noir never wins!” “Beacon is sooo cool!”
Noir’s head hangs down in frustration and then he leaves.
Beacon: “Noir!”
Beacon tries to go after Noir but gets stopped by an onlooker putting an arm on his shoulder.
Onlooker: “Beacon!” “That fight just now was amazing!”
Beacon: “Haha, thank you”
Beacon answers the onlooker with an awkward smile.
He then notices a brooch on the ground that Noir dropped.
Beacon: “That’s our...”

~The flashback scene begins~ A scene from their childhood
Noir: “Here”
Noir holds out a brooch.
Beacon: “Wow! What’s this?”
“It’s so cool!”
Noir: “This is proof that we’ll always be rivals.”
Noir says this proudly while holding up a similar brooch.
Beacon: “Thanks, Noir!!”
Beacon says this happily while looking at the brooch.
Noir: “You’d better be ready to lose! I expect you to work hard to try and keep up!”
Beacon: “You’re on!!”
~End of flashback scene~

★Noir's room★

Noir: “Why can’t I beat him!”
He looks around a room full of magic books.
Noir: “No matter what I do, I can’t match him...”
He reaches out to a suspicious-looking book cloaked in darkness.
He flips through the pages a bit and his expression changes into one of resolution.

★Noir's room, in front of the door ★

Beacon has come to check on Noir.
Beacon: “Hey, Noir!” “Are you there?”
Beacon brandishes Noir’s brooch in the air while calling out but to no avail.
Beacon: “How dare you drop the symbol of our oath!”
Beacon realizes that the door is unlocked and puts his hand on the doorknob.
Beacon hesitantly lets himself into the room.
He is surprised at the mountains of magic books filling up the room.
Beacon: “It’s been awhile since my last visit...he really is something.”
　While he is thinking this, his eyes go to a single book laying open.
Beacon looks at the page filled with handwritten notes and his expression becomes alarmed.
Beacon rushes out of the room saying, “No, he couldn’t have!”

★Forest on the outskirts of the school★

Noir is chanting a spell with a large cauldron in front of him. An ominous evil aura is spilling out of it.
Noir: “If I drink this forbidden potion I can beat him!”
Noir: “Please grant me power!”
　As if on cue, the cauldron explodes with dark magic.
Noir gets pinned against a tree that was blown by the explosion.
Noir: “Ugh”
Noir looks dazedly at the cauldron and rogue, dark magic rushes out.
　He looks around and the greenery surrounding him starts to die.
Noir: “T-this isn’t what I wanted...I just wanted to beat him.”
Noir desperately gets to his feet to get to the cauldron to try and undo the spell.
However, the dark magic continues to flood out and doesn’t let him get close.
His face looks strained and he is giving his all just to stand and not get blown back.
Beacon: “Noir! Are you okay?”
Noir is startled by Beacon’s sudden appearance. He then yells out.
Noir: “Don’t come any closer!”
Noir: “You go get help...”
He says this while holding back tears.
Beacon heads towards the cauldron while fighting back against the force of the dark magic pouring out. Beacon puts his hand on Noir’s shoulder.
Beacon: “It’s going to be okay.”
Beacon: “That said, maybe I don’t have enough magic for this.”
　Beacon reaches for Noir’s hand.
Noir: “What are you doing?!”
Beacon: “I can’t do this alone.” “Share your magic with me.”
　Upon hearing Beacon’s request, Noir starts chanting a spell.
Shimmering light magic jumps out and collides with the dark magic from the cauldron. The dark magic disappears.
Ash dances in the air, surrounding the two.
Noir: “...I’m sorry”
Beacon falls over from using too much power.
Noir hurriedly offers help but Beacon doesn’t take his hand and laughs.
Beacon: “You’re making me look bad, being okay after that spell!”
“You are something.”
“You really are.” Beacon mutters softly.
Beacon: “Oh yeah, here you go.”
Beacon holds out the brooch he had failed to deliver to Noir.
Beacon takes out his own brooch and holds it up.

Beacon: “Rematch tomorrow?”
It ends with the two making a new promise.