Chapter Three – Thorns and Shadows
The locker room was chaos.
Titan leaned against the wall, clutching his knee, his armor dented from the Envoys' double-team. Lilith lounged on a bench, legs crossed, smirking as if she hadn't just been flattened by him hours earlier. Jingles was juggling half-empty water bottles, and Blob… Blob was just Blob, wobbling and humming like nothing happened.
Me? I sat with my mask on the table in front of me, fingers trembling as I traced its crimson edges.
The System chimed.
[Debut Card Complete]
Overall Rating: B+]
Fan Count: +1,200]
Reward: 10 Summon Tickets + 500 System Points]
Warning: Eternal Wrestling has noticed your presence.]
I swallowed. "They're coming for us."
"Let them." Titan's voice was steady, unshaken. "We'll be ready."
Lilith laughed under her breath. "Speak for yourself, big man. I'm not dying for anyone's empire."
Her eyes flicked toward me—sharp, teasing, challenging.
I met her gaze. "You're not here by accident. You're part of this garden now, whether you like it or not."
For a moment, silence. Then Lilith's smirk widened. "Bold. I like bold."
System Interruption
The titantron in the locker room flickered on, static hissing. My chest tightened.
The hooded Envoys appeared, masks gleaming white, voices hollow:
"You think one victory makes you strong? You are children playing at war. Eternal Wrestling does not lose. We erase."
The feed cut.
The room went cold.
"Creepy bastards," Jingles muttered, finally dropping the bottles.
Titan clenched his gauntlet. "This is only the beginning."
The Summoning Room
The System pulled me somewhere else—bright lights, endless screens, a card-shaped console at the center. The Summoning Room.
[10 Tickets Available]
[Confirm Draw?]
My throat was dry. "Do it."
The console flared. One by one, holographic cards burst into being.
Iron Nurse (Rank B) – a towering woman in a warped nurse's uniform, wielding barbed syringes as weapons.
Mimeo the Silent (Rank D) – a pale mime with unsettling, jerky movements.
Cyber Samurai (Rank A) – armor glowing neon blue, blade humming with static.
Rockabilly Rex (Rank C) – pompadour, leather jacket, a guitar-slam gimmick.
Pixie Riot (Rank B) – fey wings and punk spikes, grinning with chaos.
Valora Prime (Rank SSR) – a cybernetic Amazon, towering and cold, eyes like firewalls.
Lollipop Girl (Rank C) – pink-haired, wielding a giant candy cane staff.
Viking Raider (Rank B) – axe in hand, howl shaking the room.
Disco Inferna (Rank D) – sequined outfit, mirrorball aura, hips that never stopped moving.
Sirena Shade (Rank A) – a sultry phantom with a voice that lured like a curse.
The room spun. My jaw clenched.
An SSR this early? Valora Prime's gaze locked onto mine through the hologram, and I swore I felt her disdain.
The System chimed again:
[Roster Expanded to 16]
[Warning: SSR Loyalty Difficult to Maintain]
[Faction War System Unlock: Rival Promotions Will Attempt Poaching]
My stomach twisted. "They're not all mine to keep, are they?"
The System did not answer.
Backstage Fallout
Back in the locker room, the new summons materialized one by one.
The veterans—Titan, Lilith, Jingles, Blob—stared in shock as their new "family" filled the space. Pixie Riot immediately kicked over a chair. Viking Raider let out a howl that rattled the lockers. Iron Nurse started checking Titan's knee without asking, barbed syringe still in hand.
Valora Prime stepped forward, towering over me, her voice cold and metallic. "You are not worthy. Yet."
The roster froze. Even Titan's jaw tightened.
I forced myself to stand tall, slipping the mask back over my face. My voice carried sharper than I expected.
"Then watch me become worthy."
For the first time, Valora's eyes flickered. Interest. Or maybe hunger.
System Alert
The lights dimmed. The System chimed loud enough for all to hear.
[Announcement: Weekly Show Schedule Unlocked]
Wednesday Live – Fan growth, promos, and rival brand encounters.
Friday Night Main Event – Match results directly impact rivalries and storyline arcs.
PPV Cycle: Every Four Weeks]
[Warning: Eternal Wrestling Invading Soon]
The roster stirred, voices overlapping—arguments, threats, jokes, laughter.
But under it all, the message was clear:
This wasn't just survival anymore.
This was war.
And I was leading it.