Marvel’s Shadowed Knight

"Who do you think is coming to save you? Alan? If he were still alive, he would've shown up long ago."

Lucille Sharpe had been holding back all this time. Otherwise, she would've killed Edith already. But now that Edith had been pushed to such a desperate point and Alan still hadn't appeared, Lucille could only conclude she had overthought it.

Alan was either dead or had run away. Though finding his body afterward might be difficult, it was entirely possible the bastard had simply gotten unlucky and died in the blizzard while trying to flee.

"I'm telling the truth. He's right behind you."

Edith Cushing stood ten meters in front of Lucille—close enough for Lucille to believe she could react in time if Edith tried anything. But Edith wasn't lying, because even she didn't know whether "he" would really appear.

The distance between the two women was just enough for one to charge at the other and still give her time to react. Lucille Sharpe wanted to see for herself what kind of "helper" Edith was looking at behind her.

She turned around—and Thomas Sharpe's soul appeared before her eyes.

His face was pale as if it had been washed out by the snow. Blood mist drifted from two wounds—one on his neck, the other on his face—rising into the air and dissolving into the howling blizzard.

As a newly formed spirit, Thomas Sharpe didn't even have the ability to speak. His gaze was dull as he looked at the two women. It was only because they stood in a straight line that he even knew where to look.

"Thomas! Thomas! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to. I'm sorry! I shouldn't have done it!"

Seeing her brother's spirit, Lucille instantly lost control of her emotions and began sobbing as she tried to reach out and touch the ghost in front of her.

"Lucille!"

Suddenly, Edith Cushing's voice rang out behind her. Lucille turned around in shock—just in time to catch a shovel full in the face.

Clang!

Blood spattered across Lucille Sharpe's face as she collapsed, apparently unconscious.

The two women had been chasing each other around the entire area, and now they had unknowingly returned to where it all began—the exit of the basement. It stood there like a gaping, bloodstained maw, waiting for its prey to stumble back into its trap.

Lucille Sharpe staggered, trying to lift her foot to walk, but her legs gave out completely. Her twisted body tilted sideways, and she tumbled down the basement exit, landing on the conveyor belt and sliding straight into the pool of red clay water.

Under the dim lighting, her entire body slowly sank. At last, a member of the Sharpe family returned to their resting place—just as it was said before: the whole family had to stay together, neat and complete.

"Thomas! Thomas! Why did it have to come to this? Does it only end once everyone is dead?"

Now Edith Cushing broke down too. Crying, she reached toward Thomas's soul, but as her fingers touched it, pieces of white fragments broke off, revealing the red interior beneath—just like the other ghosts that had appeared earlier, all tinted with a gory crimson.

The blizzard had finally passed. The sky began to clear. A gentle wind blew away the snow and fog. In the distance, several police officers and a group of about a dozen people were rushing over.

The film ended here. The credits began to roll, but even they used scenes from the movie as their background, giving the ending an added sense of sincerity.

As elegant piano music played, the lavish Gothic manor—its decorative trinkets, the first floor, the second, the third, the fourth—was revealed in full through the end credits. The layout of Crimson Peak was exposed entirely, giving the audience the impression that this had once truly been a noble residence. Even in its downfall, it had retained the dignity of its past.

Finally, the scene shifted to the kitchen. A woman was playing the piano. Her movements and hand positions perfectly matched the final notes of the closing theme. The camera turned to reveal her face—it was Lucille Sharpe, playing with a vacant expression. This was her soul after death.

As the final note faded, the credits came to an end.

The camera cut once more to the basement. In two rows of eight red clay pools, red mist-like substances began to rise—these were the souls of those who had died earlier.

But one of the pools remained still—the very one into which Alan McMichael had fallen.

Suddenly, all the red mist-like souls were drawn toward that pool, as if attracted by some unseen force. They surged into it, flooding inward.

A red-stained hand abruptly emerged and clutched the edge of the pool. Then several other red mist-like hands reached out as well, gripping the edges.

And with that, the film truly ended.

"What the hell was that ending? Did Allen come back to life or turn into a ghost?"

Milla Jovovich quickly grabbed the remote and rewound the tape bit by bit to watch the ending again.

It was definitely Allen's arm—the sleeve of his shirt had that baroque-style embellishment, no mistaking it.

As for this kind of thing, no one really knows when American films started using post-credit scenes, but many of them never led anywhere.

It was really DC and Marvel movies that expanded these easter eggs into new storylines.

And for a 90s film to have a post-credit scene like Crimson Manor—that was truly stunning.

What Allen would ultimately become became a topic of discussion among some viewers.

Milla Jovovich flipped through newspapers, searching for information and articles related to Crimson Mountain.

At the premiere of Crimson Manor, Regulus Black accompanied the two female leads—Charlize Richards and Jennifer Connelly—both of whom wore jewelry adorned with crimson rubies. Even the film's producer, Lucy Piddle, wore similar pieces, which became a hot topic among women.

In reality, the fate of crimson rubies was entirely different from their portrayal in the film. The Sharp family fell into decline because they were denied the rights to sell the rubies, whereas Regulus Black had already received certification from the Jewelers' Association.

You could even view Crimson Manor as a long-form commercial for crimson rubies. In the film, both female leads wore at least one piece of ruby jewelry whenever they appeared onscreen. That ring passed from Lucille Sharp to Edith Cushing dazzled so many women it was practically blinding.

Reportedly, at the very start of filming, Regulus Black had gifted the two actresses with a trove of jewelry—pieces worth several times more than their salaries. That was how he smoothly brought them into his private circle, and in the industry, this was no secret.

But this wasn't just about romantic entanglements. If the man behind a star was powerful enough, he could be a formidable source of support.

Milla Jovovich, still flipping through a stack of newspapers, started fantasizing about what to say the next time they met.

Thinking back to the last audition where she met him—though Regulus Black had behaved like a perfect gentleman, the way he looked at her when they were alone, with that clear admiration, had been obvious.

Knowing how much he valued her, Milla couldn't help but feel a girlish thrill.

Meanwhile, somewhere else, Kate Beckinsale was feeling the same excitement. Both women had been subtly affected after coming into contact with Regulus Black. A simple handshake had been enough to plant the idea that they should pay close attention to anything related to him. No matter what the future held, Regulus Black would always hold a significant place in their hearts.

Just watching Crimson Manor had left Milla and Kate completely obsessed with him.

The plot design, the cinematography, the ghost effects—especially that final post-credit scene—they credited all of it to Regulus Black. If they said that out loud, professionals would probably scoff and call them delusional fangirls.

But Regulus Black would make one thing clear: all of that really was his contribution. When the entire production was under his control, could anyone seriously claim otherwise? Especially since every one of those ideas had been his.

The post-credit scene wasn't even part of the original plan. Regulus Black had said one word, and the director added it in. As for whether there would be a sequel—who knows? Aside from Regulus Black, only God would know the answer.

"Boss! This is the shooting schedule for the new script. If all goes well, filming can be wrapped up by summer vacation."

Lucy Piddle handed a file to Regulus Black.

He looked up from what he was doing. On the desk before him sat a box lined with red velvet, neatly arranged inside were thirty-three gray, trapezoid-shaped rune stones.

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