LAST OF THE WEST

FADE IN:

EXT. MONKEY STONE – NIGHT

A sea of stars hangs above the jungle like forgotten gods. Lanterns rise from a torchlit clearing, drifting skyward like fireflies on pilgrimage. Hundreds of humanoid monkeys, fur in hues of brown, gold, and silver, gather around an enormous stone slab cracked with age and myth — the Monkey Stone.

The jungle hums with sound: laughter, bickering, the rhythmic beat of drums. Warriors shadowbox. Some sharpen weapons. Others whisper of omens and old battles.

MONKEY 1

(grinning, punching a palm)

I’m not worried.

MONKEY 2

(frowning, glancing at the stone)

Why not? This is sacred ground. The Monkey Stone... where fate is decided.

MONKEY 1

Exactly! Last time we gathered here? Someone broke into the Elders’ pantry and ate all the pudding.

A beat of silence. Then nervous laughter rolls through the crowd like distant thunder. But the tension lingers beneath.

MONKEY 2

This time, we were told to bring our weapons...

A sudden gust of wind sweeps through the clearing. Torches flicker. Drums stop.

THWUMP!

A figure drops from the heavens like a comet, flipping once — then twice — before landing in a crouch atop the Monkey Stone. His staff spins, glowing faintly. His tail unfurls, long and fluttering like a war banner.

SUN WUKONG.

His eyes blaze gold. Divine flames flicker beneath his fur. The air hums with restrained chaos.

SUN WUKONG

(booming)

Enough!

The crowd stills instantly. Some drop to a knee. Heads lower. Even the wind quiets.

SUN WUKONG

Raise your heads, my kin.

They obey. Awe fills every eye.

SUN WUKONG (CONT’D)

Tonight... is not about me.

It is about us.

Confused murmurs ripple through the warriors.

SUN WUKONG (CONT’D)

The Jade Emperor is extending his grasp beyond the heavens.

He now eyes the mortal realms... Sanqing is the first.

And now...

He looks to our forest.

His staff pulses. A crack of energy splits the stone underfoot.

SUN WUKONG (CONT’D)

He’s taken realm after realm. Without mercy.

Now he thinks he can tame us?

He pauses. The air thickens.

SUN WUKONG (CONT’D)

Tonight — we remind him why monkeys are feared in myth.

Tonight — we cross into his divine kingdom.

And we invade.

The monkeys freeze. Shocked. All eyes drift to the horizon, where an island glows faint green — the Emerald Throne.

SUN WUKONG (CONT’D)

He’ll know the moment we arrive. He’ll send gods. Beasts. Storms.

But I will not command you.

This is not an order.

This is a choice.

He leaps down from the stone. The earth shudders beneath his landing.

SUN WUKONG (CONT’D)

If you come with me, you may not return.

If you stay — you become the last line. The memory of what we were.

A long silence.

Some monkeys shift. A few step back.

Then: a small group vanishes into the trees.

MONKEY 1

(shouting)

Cowards!

MONKEY 3

Traitors! Shame on you!

SUN WUKONG

(raising his hand)

No. Let them go.

(beat)

They may be all that remains. If we fail.

His tail coils around his waist like a serpent. He gestures forward.

SUN WUKONG (CONT’D)

The rest of you — come.

EXT. SHORELINE – NIGHT

A hidden harbor carved into cliffs. Vines cradle ancient ships that shimmer with celestial runes. Their sails ripple with power.

The monkeys gather in silence.

SUN WUKONG

These vessels will carry us across the Silver Veil.

Beyond it lies the Emperor’s Island.

From there — we march on the palace itself.

He walks slowly between the ships and his warriors.

SUN WUKONG (CONT’D)

This battle will not be remembered for its size...

But for what it awakens.

Golden light erupts from his body — not as an attack, but as a signal. A flare. A symbol.

The Huaguo monkeys roar in reply, their bodies igniting with matching auras. Ships launch from the harbor, sails filled with wind born of destiny.

INT. JADE EMPEROR’S PALACE – NIGHT

Chaos. The throne room — once pristine — now a warzone. Blood streaks the jade floors. Sacred pillars lay shattered. Monkey warriors lie still, some whispering their final prayers.

Smoke curls from broken walls. Somewhere, a divine gong echoes.

MONKEY 2

(staggering from rubble)

We have to move — now!

MONKEY 1

We can’t! He’s still in there — we can’t leave him!

MONKEY 2

(choking on tears)

He gave us a command. We finish it.

MONKEY 1

But—!

MONKEY 2

Don’t. Disobey. Our King.

At the far end of the hall — the Jade Emperor stands tall. Robed in shimmering emerald. His face mostly hidden, save for a single, defining flaw:

A shattered right eye. Blood weeps beneath his mask.

Before him kneels Sun Wukong, breathing hard. His staff lies broken across the floor, shattered like a fallen star.

JADE EMPEROR

Not many dare provoke me.

But you?

You didn't just provoke me.

You scarred me.

SUN WUKONG

(panting, grinning faintly)

Didn’t come for respect...

Came for your head.

JADE EMPEROR

(circling him)

So arrogant.

Millennia of balance. Divine law.

And a monkey thought he could undo it all?

He gestures to his ruined eye.

JADE EMPEROR (CONT’D)

You did leave your mark. I’ll give you that.

Wukong tries to rise. His arms shake.

SUN WUKONG

Just... give me a moment...

CRACK!

The Emperor slams his heel into Wukong’s back. The stone beneath them fractures.

JADE EMPEROR

You’ve had enough moments, simian.

Divine power gathers. The room trembles. Columns bend inward like kneeling soldiers.

SUN WUKONG

(wheezing, smirking)

While you were busy...

My warriors — the ones who escaped...

They’ll tell everyone...

A pause. Blood on his lips.

SUN WUKONG (CONT’D)

That a god... can bleed.

The Jade Emperor raises his hand. Energy warps the air around him, emerald lightning dancing across his fingers.

SUN WUKONG (CONT’D)

We primates...

We’re unpredictable.

Power crackles. A vortex of light swirls toward the throne.

SUN WUKONG (CONT’D)

So if you think this is the end...

He locks eyes with the Emperor.

SUN WUKONG (CONT’D)

I can’t wait to see the look on your face... next time.

A final blast of green light erupts, engulfing the screen.

INT. JADE EMPEROR’S PALACE – LATER

Silence.

The room is clean. Untouched. The violence erased — like a memory the heavens rejected.

The Jade Emperor sits alone. Still. Regal. He lifts one finger and draws a perfect circle of green in the air. The palace restores around him, glass-like shards reversing their fall, time mending itself.

Outside, the night is still.

A star above shatters silently — splitting into five burning fragments. They streak through the sky.

One lands before the Emperor’s throne. He gazes at it.

A smirk tugs at his lips.

JADE EMPEROR

(softly)

We’ll see, monkey.

His laughter rises. Calm. Echoing across the palace. Growing louder, more twisted. It rolls across the land like distant thunder.

EXT. EMPEROR’S ISLAND – NIGHT

A still night. Moonlight bathes the palace in silver. The echo of the Emperor’s laughter moves across the jungle, down to the shores, up to the stars.

Far in the distance — in the deepest part of the forest — a flicker of gold dances in the leaves.

A tail.

Uncoiled.

Rising.

FADE TO BLACK.