The scene rematerializes… not forward, but backward—into an age before our heroes dared stand before The Employer at CreatureMania XVI.
Only weeks have passed since The Lord of Darkness, The Undertaker, was entombed in stone within his Ethereal Realm, his still-beating legacy sealed inside the mystical urn, his heart torn from him and hidden from all worlds.
The Earth has not yet tasted the full consequence of The Darkspade’s defiance.
He was commanded to summon his own daughter—to offer her to The Employer so her destruction would secure dominion over fate itself and spare her children from an untimely end. The Darkspade refused.
And so, The Employer sowed discord.
Ancient pacts shattered. Creatures of the Night turned upon one another. Humanity was dragged screaming into the conflict, standing against wave after wave of encroaching darkness, never meant to know such wars.
During these weeks, The Darkspade vanished behind the walls of his manor, sealing himself away as his resolve decayed. Fearing his descent—his grief, his guilt, his refusal to strike the oracle. Then, Obed Marsh, a mysterious force against The Employer, left behind a gift… in an attempt to spring Darkspade's spirits, or was it a curse?
A magical mirror.
A doorway for reflection, for temptation. A chance to reignite purpose—perhaps through combat once more, perhaps in another world altogether. A wrestler again. A savior reborn.
That was the hope.
But instability does not sleep.
What lingered within The Darkspade was not healed—it was starving. The hunger endured. And from the depths of his fractured soul rose his truest shadow: The Unholy Knight of Darkness.
It did not guide him.
It consumed him.
Darkspade increased his presence in the Shoot Project world and fed off the thrills he longed for —his very own daughter, Charon of Death, was worried for him and even tried to intervene; however, when she threatened to take the mirror away, Darkspade tied her to a chair (see: https://shootproject.com/promo?id=95)
And when it took control, it sought a feast.
The first soul vulnerable enough to answer its call…
Ricky Tenet.
Darkspade and Ricky Tenet first engaged each other after a dare to call Darkspade out as an OOGIE BOOGIE... that then sparked odd and eerie attacks from Darkspade for months. They then first class at Daybreak... of which Darkspade decimated his opponent... however, the mental state of mind of Ricky only seemed to deteriorate. Attacks one after the other ensured from the psychological monster that is The Darkspade...
PREYING ON THE INNOCENT
THE HAUNTING
THE LOVE OF A FATHER
All from here: https://shootproject.com/roster/member/darkspade
Ricky's responses shown that he had enough, and even went so far as accept that some darkness may be good for him, perhaps to dip into that darkness in order to defeat The Darkspade and bargain out of existence...
See Ricky's replies: https://shootproject.com/roster/member/ricky-tenet 003. How Insignificant:
006. Modest Mouse:
007. Makes Me Feel Normal:
008. A Rude Fucking Awakening:
And then finally, Ricky's breakdown:
009. You Did It to Yourself:
However, The Darkspade did not stand down- he in fact- fed off of Ricky's unstable mental and physical states... The Unholy One attacked Ricky with deliberate mental visions....
In another world… The Shoot Project: Redemption.
Their paths crossed again—
not as rivals,
but as inevitabilities.
The night was named Redemption, yet it bled the life from Ricky instead. A massive battle royale drained him to the marrow, leaving him hollow, fighting on echoes rather than strength.
Was this the moment the Evil could finally be undone—
or was the ending already written?
Had this always been Darkspade’s design?
To let Ricky battle himself into ruin…
to wait patiently in the shadows…
and claim whatever remained.
The scene re-materializes once again, but this time, The Darkspade is on the floor in the hidden library, above him was once the place where the silvery mirror once hang... Charon Death comes into view, we see her feet first.... her father, sprawled on to the ground. Charon of Death stepped forward, her boots echoing where shadows knelt.
“Dad,” she said quietly. “Why did you let it take you?”
Darkspade did no reply. His voice came layered, doubled, as though another mouth spoke just beneath his own.
“Because it was always mine.”
Charon clenched her fists. “No. It feeds on you. It hollowed you out and wore your name like armor.... in fact, IT WAS the armor... that mirror somehow broke your ability to balance your mind, and your SOUL, The Unholy Knight of Darkness manifested itself and overwhelmed you”
Silence stretched—then Darkspade laughed, sharp and humorless.
“You speak as if you still believe chains bind you,” he said. “You were tied. Broken. Left where you could not interfere.”
“I broke the chair,” Charon snapped. “Your bindings were careless. Ritual rope remembers fear—and I have none... and maybe I actually care about you, dad.”
Darkspade slowly peeled up from the floor and stared at her in the process with a sly smile... "So. How did you do it? I was enjoying my second helping of that boy backstage and now I am back here...."
“I performed the summoning. Old words. Forbidden ones. I drew you out of the Shoot Project world and dragged you back into this realm—whether you wished it or not.”
The shadows recoiled.
“And the mirror,” she added, softer now. “I had it removed.... It no longer whispers to you.”
Darkspade roared, the sound cracking stone. “YOU HAD NO RIGHT.”
He advanced, the darkness writhing around him like living flame.
“That mirror was clarity. It was power. It was the only thing keeping me—”
“—keeping you lost,” Charon cut in. “It showed you only what the hunger wanted you to see.”
His hand raised, trembling with restraint or fury—neither she could tell.
“You dare defy me????,” he hissed. “After all I sacrificed?????? AFTER THE COUNTLESS TIMES I FUCKING LOST THE WORLD TITLE AND NOW I AM A SHELL OF THE MAN I USE...”
“oh PIPE THE HELL UP!!!!!,” Charon screamed. “Because someone has to... SOMEONE HAS TO BRING YOU TO YOUR SENSES... THIS IS THE REALITY YOU TRULY LIVE IN.... THE REALITY WHERE YOU HAVE TO RESIST THE EMPLOYER AND SAVE LILITH, YOUR DAUGHTER!!!.”
She stepped closer, lowering her voice as if the walls themselves might listen. “The Creature Wars are escalating. Pacts are ash. Night fights night. And now the mortals have spoken.”
Darkspade paused.
“They’ve gone public,” Charon said. “National broadcasts. Emergency declarations. Humans are arming themselves—not against shadows, but against us. They are declaring war.”
For the first time, the darkness around Darkspade stilled.
Charon swallowed. “This is what The Employer wanted. Chaos on every front. Creatures. Mortals. Family turned against itself.”
She looked at her father—not the monster, not the unholy knight, but the man buried beneath both.
“I’m afraid,” she said. “Not of you. Of the truth.”
Darkspade said nothing.
Charon whispered the final words like a confession… or a verdict.
“If you cannot get your head straight out of your ass, I think The Employer, Angel of Death, has already won.”
To Be Continued.