UNDER THE ASHES

The Arrival

"Is this him?" a deep voice cut through the rain, startling Ethan from his thoughts.

He turned, squinting through the downpour. A fleet of black cars, sleek and polished, had appeared out of nowhere. The headlights sliced through the storm, and men dressed in sharp suits began stepping out. Ethan's heart pounded in his chest as he watched them approach, their movements precise and coordinated.

The man who spoke was tall, his suit perfectly tailored. His eyes locked on Ethan with an intensity that made the hair on the back of Ethan's neck stand up.

“Are you... Young Master Ethan?” the man asked, his voice low and steady, though there was no mistaking the respect in his tone.

Ethan stared, speechless. He hadn’t heard anyone call him that in years. He wiped the rain from his face, unsure if this was real or if the storm had finally gotten to him.

Another man, shorter but just as impeccably dressed, stepped forward and bowed. "We have been sent for you, Young Master."

Ethan blinked. "Sent? By who?"

The shorter man exchanged a quick glance with the others before answering. "Your family, sir."

"My family?" Ethan's voice cracked. He hadn’t spoken to them in so long, he had almost forgotten they existed in his world. "Why now? Why are you here?"

The man said “Well just few minutes ago,Victor just called and told us about your where about.”

The tall man cleared his throat. “It was time. We have orders to bring you back.”

Ethan shook his head, stepping back. His old life—the one he'd tried so hard to escape—it was trying to pull him back in. The world he had turned away from, the one that had always been too dangerous, too complicated. 

“I... I don’t understand,” Ethan muttered, feeling the weight of the moment. “I’ve been gone for years. I walked away.”

The short man stepped forward again, his voice soft but firm. “Your place has always been with us, Young Master. It doesn’t matter how long you’ve been gone. The family always comes back for their own.”

Ethan looked down at his soaked clothes, at the mud beneath his shoes, then back up at the line of luxury cars gleaming in the rain. He didn’t belong to this world anymore. Or did he?

“And if I refuse?” Ethan asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

The tall man didn’t flinch. “That’s not an option, sir. You’re needed now more than ever. Your return has already been decided.”

Ethan clenched his fists, a surge of anger bubbling up inside him. After everything Sophia and Lucas had done, after they had stripped him of his pride, his home, now this? His past life, the one he had buried deep, was rising up to claim him again, as if he had never left.

“I don’t need this,” Ethan said, shaking his head. “I don’t need any of you.”

The shorter man smiled faintly. “With respect, Young Master, it’s not about what you need. It’s about what you are.”

“What I am?” Ethan’s voice dripped with frustration. “I’m no one. They made sure of that.”

The tall man stepped closer, his voice lowering. “You’re more than they know. Much more.”

Ethan froze, the words sinking in. More than they know. He had been treated like nothing by Sophia, humiliated by Lucas, thrown into the street like garbage. But these men—they knew something. Something he had hidden away for so long he had almost forgotten it himself.

“Get in the car,” the shorter man said softly. “It’s time to go home.”

Home. The word echoed in Ethan’s mind, but it didn’t feel right. He had no home. Not anymore. The mansion he had lived in was Sophia’s now. He had nothing.

Or maybe, just maybe, he had something more than he had realized.

Ethan took a deep breath, looking between the men, the cars, and the storm that still raged around him. His old life—the one he had been cast out of—was crumbling before him. But maybe this was the beginning of something else. Something bigger.

“Why should I trust you?” Ethan asked, his voice steady but filled with doubt.

The tall man met his eyes, unflinching. “Because we’ve been waiting for you. You don’t know it yet, but your place is with us.”

Ethan hesitated, glancing down the street, as if the answers were hidden in the shadows. The rain kept falling, soaking through his clothes, chilling him to the bone. But the warmth of the cars—the strange sense of belonging these men offered—was hard to ignore.

“Where are you taking me?” Ethan asked, his voice barely louder than the rain.

The shorter man smiled, just slightly. “To where you truly belong, Young Master.”

Ethan felt his heart pound in his chest. He had been living a lie for so long, trying to be something he wasn’t. Maybe now it was time to face the truth.

He took a step forward, his shoes sinking into the muddy ground, but he didn’t stop. The men parted, bowing slightly as he approached the car. He glanced back at the mansion one last time, the life he had known fading into the background.

Without a word, the driver opened the car door, and Ethan slid into the backseat. The leather was cold against his wet clothes, but the warmth of the car quickly enveloped him.

As the door closed behind him, the tall man leaned in through the window. “It’s good to have you back, sir.”

Ethan didn’t respond. He stared out at the rain-streaked window, his mind swirling with questions he wasn’t sure he wanted answers to.

The engine roared to life, and the car pulled away from the curb. The other cars followed, forming a sleek convoy as they drove through the empty streets. Ethan didn’t know where they were going, but somehow, he knew there was no turning back now.

The silence inside the car was thick, the hum of the engine the only sound as the city lights blurred past. Ethan’s thoughts raced, torn between the life he had been thrown out of and the one he was now speeding towards.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, he spoke, his voice low.

“What is my real place?” he asked, more to himself than to anyone else.

The man beside him, dressed as impeccably as the others, turned and answered simply. “You’ll see soon enough, Young Master.”

Ethan stared ahead, his mind spinning. What had he really left behind all those years ago? What had he been running from? 

And more importantly—what was he running toward now?

The rain continued to pour as the car drove on, carrying Ethan into the unknown. A strange sense of calm settled over him, but it was mixed with something else. Something he hadn’t felt in a long time.

Anticipation.

As the city faded behind him, one question lingered in his mind, pressing against the edges of his thoughts.

Who was he really?