RISING FROM THE ASHES : FROM PRISONER TO SHADOW TYRANT

FROM DISCARDED TO DESTINED

"Finally some peace," Ethan mumbled to himself after looking at the guests who had already begun to leave.

Their expensive shoes echoed faintly against the polished marble floor as they walked away one by one, carrying with them the last fragments of laughter, mockery, and gossip that had filled the Carvendish mansion just moments ago.

The celebration was over.

And so was Ethan’s place in this house.

He stood alone in the corridor, his tall figure unmoving beneath the dim golden lights, his face calm and unreadable, yet his eyes carried a depth that no longer belonged to this family.

No one came to know his side of the story, no one came to speak to him, no one cared enough to bother about him.

To them, he had already become a stranger, or perhaps… he always had been one.

It just took some time for him to understand his place.

After a moment, realising his presence is no longer needed in a place where he is no less than thin air, Ethan turned and walked slowly toward the end of the corridor, his footsteps were quiet but steady, until he finally stopped in front of a door he had visited countless times throughout his life.

His grandfather’s room.

This was the only place in this entire mansion that had ever felt warm to him.

The only place where he had been treated like family.

His hand lifted slowly, and his fingers trembling slightly as he knocked gently.

"Grandpa… it’s me." 

His voice was calm, but beneath that calmness, there was something fragile, something emotional that had not yet completely died.

It had been three years since he last saw his grandfather or heard his voice, and now, instead of excitement, an unfamiliar anxiety filled his chest.

He waited. He truly waited for several minutes, but only silence answered him.

His fingers tightened slightly, as he knocked again, this time firmer.

"Grandpa, can I come in?"

Still nothing.

No footsteps, no voice, no warmth either, all that came in return as an answer to him was silence.

For a few seconds, Ethan felt that his grandfather must be upset or angry with him.

A strange uneasiness crept into Ethan’s chest, something he hadn’t felt even when he was standing in prison surrounded by violence and humiliation.

After a moment of hesitation, he pushed the door open thinking whatever it might be, even if it's anger of his grandfather, he is ready to face as he felt as long as he can see his grandfather's face, anything is okay.

Strangely, the room was empty.

The curtains swayed gently due to the cold breeze flowing through the open window, but the man he wanted to see was nowhere inside.

Ethan’s brows slowly furrowed.

"Where did he go…?" 

His grandfather hated noisy gatherings, he would never attend Charlie’s birthday celebration because he never liked the presence of Charlie in the house despite everyone loving him the most.

Ethan is sure that his grandfather would never leave his room without a reason.

Yet now…

He was gone as if he never lived in this room.

A faint sense of worry settled in Ethan’s heart, but before he could think further, the sudden ringing of his phone shattered the fragile silence.

The sound felt unusually loud in the empty room.

Ethan lowered his gaze to look at the mobile, and it's just some unknown number.

His fingers remained still for a moment. Very few people had this number and it was the phone given to him the day he walked out of prison.

It's an easy guess, since that person is the one who offered him this mobile.

After a brief pause, he answered, but he didn’t speak, neither did the person on the other side.

For a few seconds, both remained silent, as if testing whether the other was truly there.

Then,

"Have you left the Carvendish house yet?"

The familiar old voice traveled through the phone, calm and steady, yet carrying an authority that no ordinary person could possess.

Ethan’s fingers tightened slightly around the device.

"No," Ethan replied quietly. "I’m still here."

"I see."

The old man’s tone remained unchanged, but there was a faint satisfaction hidden beneath it.

"As expected."

Ethan said nothing.

He waited.

Because he knew this call was not made for meaningless conversation.

"Everything has been prepared for you," the old man said. "For the new life you're going to lead, don't let any old strings get attached... It'll just get in your way as an obstacle, nothing more than that!" 

Ethan’s gaze slowly dropped to the dark ring resting on his finger.

The Dragon Ring.

It still looked like nothing more than a worthless piece of scrap metal, but Ethan knew better.

"That ring was never given to you by chance," the old man continued. "It represents something far greater than you realize." 

Ethan’s expression remained calm throughout the conversation.

"I told you before," the old man said, his voice deepening slightly from time to time, "the Dragon Ring represents identity, inheritance… and power."

Power.

The word echoed quietly in Ethan’s ears.

For three years, he had lived without power, without protection, without dignity either.

Now…

Everything was about to change.

"There will be a banquet tomorrow," the old man said in a deep voice, "At the Caspian estate." 

Ethan’s eyes narrowed slightly as that name reminded him of Jenny since she is also from the Caspian family, "The Caspian family?"

"Yes." 

Even among the elite, the Caspian family stood at the absolute peak.

Untouchable, unquestionable, and feared, no wonder his father is too eager to get connections with the Caspian family by marrying Charlie to Jenny as she is the only daughter of Derick Caspian.

"Are you listening?"

"Yes!"

"At that banquet," the old man continued, "two announcements will be made."

Ethan waited to listen further.

"Your engagement." 

There was no reaction on Ethan’s face.

Not even surprise, because he had already known this day would come.

"The woman you will be engaged to," the old man said slowly, "is Scarlett Caspian."

The Black Rose of the Caspian family, her name was enough to shake countless powerful men.

Beautiful, ruthless, and dangerous in an elegant way.

Yet Ethan’s heart remained still.

Because his heart had already died once, and it no longer cared about such things.

"And the second announcement," the old man said, his voice lowering, "will be your identity reveal." 

Ethan’s grip tightened slightly.

"The new Shadow Tyrant."

Silence filled the space between them, but Ethan’s face showed no excitement.

No fear.... No hesitation either.

He had already accepted this fate long ago.

"Understood," Ethan replied calmly.

His quiet acceptance made the old man chuckle faintly.

"Good." 

A brief silence followed.

Then, the old man spoke again.

This time, his voice carried something absolute, and something final.

"After tomorrow…" He paused, adding great intensity to the further words, "The world will finally learn your real name." 

The call ended, but Ethan did not move, his fingers just slowly tightened around the Dragon Ring.

Because tomorrow.… everything would begin, from discarded to destined.

Ethan looked at the dark ring on his finger and whispered quietly, "This time… I won’t lose anything!"