EXT. FOREST OF ASHES - EARLY MORNING

Thick, acrid smoke lingers in the air as the first light of dawn breaks through the haze.  The landscape is a charred memory of what was once a vibrant forest.  Blackened trees stand like tortured skeletons, scattered embers glowing faintly on the ground.  The TIME TRAVELLER (40s, rugged and hollow-eyed) stands alone in the midst of ashes, his breath heavy with despair.

For a moment, he closes his eyes and is lost in a memory, the chaotic fire roaring like a beast in his mind.  The crackling flames leap around him once more, tearing the night apart.  Distant screams echo against the silence, taunting him with the horror of the fire that consumed all he cherished.

A flicker of fiery light dances behind his closed eyelids;  he is momentarily drawn back to the inferno, where the world he knew was engulfed in flames.

TIME TRAVELLER
(haunted whisper)
Weena...  I can’t lose you too.

He stares into the wreckage, brow furrowed, haunted by visions of chaos from last night that flare in his memory like the flames that ravaged the woods.  A bitter wind brushes past him, stirring the smoke and ash at his feet.

TIME TRAVELLER (CONT'D)
(murmuring to himself, voice breaking)
Where are you

He kneels down, running his fingers through the soot.  Each grain of ash feels like shards of his heart.  It dawns on him—she is missing.  Overwhelming dread washes over him as genuine fear ignites.

TIME TRAVELLER (CONT'D)
(panic rising)
No...  no, not you too.

A FLASHBACK overtakes him

EXT.  LUSH GARDEN - DAY (FLASHBACK)

Weena playfully twirls amidst the flowers, her laughter ringing like chimes in the breeze.  The Time Traveller watches her, his heart swelling with affection.  She pauses, a flower in hand, looking back at him with wide, innocent eyes.

WEENA
(smiling)
Look—I’m a queen of flowers!

BACK TO PRESENT

EXT. FOREST OF ASHES - EARLY MORNING

The Time Traveller's face twists in anguish as he snaps back to reality.  Tears well up in his eyes, but he blinks them away—grief should not overshadow the urgency of the moment.

TIME TRAVELLER
(to himself, fiercely)
I have to find you...

Suddenly, another FLASHBACK

EXT.  GLOWING FIRE - NIGHT (FLASHBACK)

The fire crackles and spits around them as they hold each other close, huddled against the shadows.  Weena’s eyes shine with trust and love, her small hand clutching his tightly.

WEENA
(softly)
Promise you’ll protect me...

BACK TO PRESENT

EXT. FOREST OF ASHES - EARLY MORNING

The memory lingers, echoing in the Time Traveller’s heart.  He clenches his jaw, fighting against the tears, his resolve hardening.  The strength of their bond fuels the desperation inside him.

TIME TRAVELLER
(whispers)
I’ll find you, Weena.  I promise.

He stands up abruptly, scanning the area again.  Charred branches claw at the sky, twisted and broken, as if reaching for something lost.  Ashes swirl, mirroring the turmoil within him.

Suddenly, he spots something half-buried among the leaves—an Eloi shawl, singed but unmistakably hers.  He lunges forward, heart racing as he clutches the fabric to his chest.

TIME TRAVELLER (CONT'D)
(crying out)
Weena!

The sound of his own voice echoes back, hollow against the silence.  He steels himself, gripping the shawl tightly, the faint scent of her still clinging to the fabric.

TIME TRAVELLER (CONT'D)
(swallowing hard)
You’re out there...  I won’t stop...

He begins to walk, each step weighed down by grief yet driven by love.  As he charts a path through the remnants of destruction, flashes of their shared moments flood his mind the joy of discovery, the warmth of her laughter, the heart-stopping beauty of their connection.

TIME TRAVELLER (CONT'D)
(whispering, voice trembles)
Please...  be safe.

As morning light grows stronger, illuminating the devastation around him, he takes a deep breath, breathes in the acrid air, and straightens his back, determination and fear battling within.

TIME TRAVELLER (CONT'D)
(to himself, resolutely)
I will find you.

He steps forward, each crunch of ash underfoot loud in the quiet stillness, releasing the echoes of hope mixed with despair.  He walks into the forest of ashes, a lone figure searching for the light of his love amid the darkness.

FADE OUT.