RISING FROM THE ASHES : FROM PRISONER TO SHADOW TYRANT

THE BASEMENT

"I don’t care," Ethan told himself as he paused inside the grand hall. "I’m here only to cut everything off."

The music, the laughter, the celebration behind him felt distant, like noise from another world despite everything happening just before him.

Before he could take another step, a sharp voice aimed at him, "Who the hell allowed you to come here?" 

A woman leaned lazily against the railing, and a glass of wine dangling from her fingers. 

It was Sally Carvendish, his so-called sister, her lips curved into a mocking smile, and eyes filled with disdain.

"So the criminal finally escaped?" She sneered without any trace of love or warmth towards her only brother. "Is prison life too hard for you? Couldn’t survive without silk sheets and servants? Is that why you crawled back here again?" 

Ethan’s expression didn’t change, as he already knew what kind of place he had in her heart.

Sally laughed sarcastically, "I thought if you had any shame left for betraying your family you would never step here, but here you are, sneaking back like a stray dog, by any chance did you come to steal something before you run away?" 

She took a step forward, her eyes scanning him with disgust.

"You should be grateful," she scoffed mercilessly. "Charlie worked so hard to make sure you lived comfortably in prison, and this is how you repay him? Breaking out and disgracing us on his birthday?" 

Her voice sharpened as she directly accused him, "Do you know what you’ve done? If the police find out you escaped, the whole family will be dragged into your mess, do you really want us to suffer along with you?" 

Ethan finally looked at her with calm and empty eyes, as he said, "I was released today!" 

"So what?" Her expression remained unbothered, "do you want any grand welcome or any kind of appreciation for coming out of prison?" 

Ethan said quietly. "I didn’t come to stay."

Sally was quiet for a second after listening to him.

"I came," he continued, "to end everything for once." 

And for the first time, her smirk wavered.

Ethan didn’t even look at her as he said, "I just came to see Grandfather, once I'm done seeing him, I'll leave by myself." 

Sally rolled her eyes with a mock laughter totally unbelieving that he'll leave everything behind. "Oh, spare me the drama, there's no fool here to believe in your lies." 

Ethan said nothing, while she pointed a finger at him with a disgusted look, "You look like a beggar off the street, if you’re going to stand in the same room as Charlie, at least don’t embarrass us with your disgusting appearance!" 

She waved a hand and snapped her fingers toward a butler.

"Prepare a suit for him, something decent, don't let him show up like some street wanderer, I won’t let him humiliate Charlie’s party dressed like a prison rat." 

Ethan remained silent, but the look in his eyes was colder than icy winter.

He wasn’t here to celebrate, but he was just here to settle accounts.

The butler approached Ethan with an annoyed look, "how long will you stand here, aren't you going to come?"

"I just asked you to get into a suit like a proper human," Sally sighed with a tired face, "Why can't you just obey us at least once in your life?" 

Ethan sneered. "A suit?" His voice dripped with mockery. "Where am I supposed to get one?"

Sally stiffened at that question.

For a moment, she had forgotten, Ethan didn’t have a room here anymore, because it wasn’t his house anymore, not really.

"Well…" she faltered for a second, then immediately straightened her spine with false confidence. "You can borrow a servant’s uniform, even our servants wear thousand-dollar tailoring, better than the trash you’ve got on, so get away from my face already." 

The butler hesitated nearby, clearly uncomfortable.

When Sally barked at him to escort Ethan, his voice trembled while speaking in front of her, "Ms. Sally, I forgot to ask this earlier... Well, where should I take him? His room… it’s been converted into Young Master Charlie’s gaming room." 

Ethan left a small mocking smile, Sally's face flushed because of Butler's reminder about Ethan's room conversion, her fist tightened at the tense situation.

"What's there to think that much about this matter? Just take him to the basement," she said after a small pause. "There’s a lot of space in the basement for changing the dress, to someone like him, the basement is more than enough to live in." 

Ethan’s smile widened, not with amusement, but with contempt, the expression stung her more than any insult.

Sally gritted her teeth in frustration.

The butler led Ethan down the marble staircase, through the halls of luxury and lies, into the cold, and damp basement. 

A clean folded uniform was on a bench, clean and navy blue colour, it's clearly a servant’s outfit.

Ethan didn't argue, he has just begun to change.

Just as he shrugged on the white inner shirt, the door burst open.

Jenny stood in the doorway, almost breathless. "Ethan, I..." 

She froze in the same place.

The shirt hung loose over his shoulders, only half-buttoned, exposing a tiny part of his back.

But what she witnessed made her breath hitch.

Jagged scars crisscrossed his skin like cruel brushstrokes, dark, old, some faded, others fresh as if they happened in just a day or two.

Her throat tightened at the sight in front of her, "No... No way, these can’t be from prison, are they? But Charlie promised Ethan would be protected, and treated with dignity, then... Where exactly did these scars come from..." 

Ethan turned to her with lifeless eyes. "Enjoying the view?" 

"Huh?" 

"Rather than enjoying the party, what made you come all the way to this basement?" 

Jenny stepped closer, ignoring the seriousness in his voice. "Ethan, can you control this sarcastic behaviour of yours? I don't understand who got your brain messed up like this! You have to try to understand." 

"Understand what?" Ethan raised an eyebrow.

"We never meant to hurt you, everyone just wanted to protect Charlie because he is a victim who has suffered a lot, you already have everything, the name, the inheritance, the title, even the love and affection, what about him? He doesn't have any of those, yet you've tried to steal the little things left for him, so it's only right that you make some sacrifices, that's what family means...." 

Ethan let out a low and bitter laugh.

"He took my place," he said flatly. "All of it, everything that belonged to me was stolen by him, if you have even an ounce of common sense you'll understand this." 

Jenny flinched at his words.

Ethan stepped closer, and his voice hardened just like his heart, "Tell me one thing Jenny, what exactly did I get? Forced to leave home at a very young age to live in a campus dorm just because Charlie is uncomfortable around me? Right after I returned happily to share my achievements, I was sent to rot in prison for three years." 

Ethan still remembered how painful it was for him to live away from his family all those years as he wasn't even allowed to come home for holidays just because they don't want Charlie to feel sad or inferior around him.

"While your Charlie grew up in luxury, with everything handed to him on a silver platter for years, what exactly did I get? A life worse than a street dog in that prison...." 

Jenny was speechless, guilt washed over her, but her silence was louder than any confession.

Ethan buttoned up the shirt and walked out of the basement without another glance.

He had a place in mind where he wanted to go as soon as possible, just with that thought he stepped into the hallway.

Ethan was intent on finding his grandfather’s private quarters, just then a rude and drunken voice stopped him.

"Hey, you.... Go, get me another glass of wine."

A woman in a red silk dress stood by the bar, ordered him, as if he was the servant who is supposed to obey her.

Ethan didn’t even look at her. "I’m not a servant, look for someone to bring you wine." 

She scoffed after looking at him from top to bottom, "You could've fooled me with those looks, but that uniform said a different story." 

"I don’t care what it says, I’m not your servant," he said flatly, trying to move away from her as she reeked of alcohol.

But she stepped in his path arrogantly. "You are just a filthy servant, learn to obey guests..." 

Before Ethan could answer, hurried footsteps echoed from the stairs.

"Stop!" Jenny called as she emerged from the basement, eyes wide. "He’s..." 

"He’s our butler's son," Sally cut in smoothly, walking over with a glass of wine in hand. "Still learning his place, please don't mind him." 

Jenny turned to her with a puzzled face. "Sally, that’s not..." 

"If you reveal Ethan’s identity," Sally hissed under her breath, "what happens to Charlie? To our reputation? Do you want Charlie to be heartbroken again?" 

Jenny’s breath caught at the mention of Charlie being heartbroken.

She looked at Ethan, who now stood calmly, watching the entire performance with an unreadable smirk as if he knew what was going to happen later, he heard every word of their conversation.

Jenny felt her face burn with guilt and embarrassment, but she nodded agreeing with Sally.

She turned to the woman in red and forced a smile. "Sally is right, he is new and shy, please don't pay attention to him." 

His eyes met Jenny’s, empty, and distant. Whatever had once existed between them was gone, perhaps… the death of something once tender, "A wakeup call to reality!"