Bound By The Living Yama

Metropolis Prison was the most dangerous prison in the country, a place where the most violent criminals were kept. Murderers, serial killers, and men whose names inspired fear lived within its walls. It was not a place meant for someone like Ethan Vale.

Ethan lay on his bed or rather, what could barely be called a bed. It was only a thin mat infested with bugs that crawled freely across his weak body. His delicate skin had turned red from countless bites, irritated and swollen. If it had been his first day in this prison, Ethan would never have allowed himself to sleep on something like that. He had once been someone who lived in comfort, someone who valued cleanliness and dignity. But now, he was no longer the rich heir but a weak, exhausted, and broken prisoner.He no longer had the strength to care. So he lay there and slept, despite the discomfort.

His prison mate, Dovan, sat nearby, watching him quietly. Dovan was a hardened man who had seen many criminals come and go, but Ethan was different. Ethan didn’t look like someone who belonged in a place like this. He looked fragile, innocent even. Dovan couldn’t reconcile Ethan’s appearance with the type of people who normally ended up in Metropolis Prison.

After hesitating for a while, Dovan finally spoke.

“Boy,” he said, his voice rough but curious, “I’ve been meaning to ask you… what exactly did you get yourself into to end up here?”

Ethan slowly opened his eyes. He smiled faintly, though the smile was filled with pain and bitterness. He forced himself to sit up, his body protesting from weakness and injury. His expression was empty as he replied quietly,

“I killed my parents.”

Dovan’s eyes widened in shock. He stared at Ethan in disbelief. There was no way someone who looked so gentle could commit such a crime, especially against his own parents.

Ethan noticed his reaction and let out a soft, hollow laugh.

“You believed it too, didn’t you?” he said. “Well, calm down. I didn’t kill my parents. I was framed.”

As he said those words, memories flooded his mind.

He remembered that day clearly. His parents had just died in a tragic accident. It was supposed to be a day of mourning, a day for him and his brothers to pay their respects and grieve their loss. The house had been filled with sorrow and visitors offering condolences.

Then suddenly, everything changed.

A group of police officers entered their home without warning. Their presence caused confusion and panic among everyone present. Before Ethan could even understand what was happening, they walked directly toward him and placed him in handcuffs.

He struggled in shock and anger.

“What did I do?” he shouted. “Are you crazy? Let me go!”

Everyone around him was confused. No one understood why the police had come for Ethan, especially on the day of his parents’ funeral.

Then Stanley appeared.

Stanley Vale, his father’s younger brother.

Ethan still remembered the way Stanley had looked at him. There was no sympathy in his eyes. Only cold certainty.

“Don’t fight them, Ethan,” Stanley said calmly. “They already found out what you did.”

Ethan stared at him in confusion.

“What did I do?”

Stanley smiled slightly before delivering the words that would destroy Ethan’s life forever.

“You killed your parents.”

Ethan’s eyes widened in disbelief.

“You’re lying!” he shouted in anger and grief. “Why would I kill my own parents? Are you drunk, Uncle Stanley?!”

But Stanley didn’t reply. He simply told the officers to take Ethan away.

As they dragged him toward the door, Nathan, his elder brother, stepped forward and blocked their path.

“Where are you taking my brother?” Nathan demanded.

Hope filled Ethan’s chest at that moment. He believed Nathan would protect him. Nathan had always been strong, dependable, someone Ethan trusted completely.

Nathan insisted he would hire the best lawyers for Ethan. He promised that everything would be resolved.

But when the court day came, Nathan didn't defend him but instead testified against him,Ethan remembered the cold marble of the courtroom. He had sat at the defendant's table, his hands shaking, looking back at the gallery for his brother. Nathan had stepped onto the witness stand, looking the judge in the eye with a face full of " sincerity”.

"I want to believe my brother is innocent," Nathan had testified, his voice cracking perfectly. "But the truth is... Ethan was behaving very suspiciously that night. He was the one who insisted our parents take his car for the trip. And then, he wasn't even home when the accident happened."

Ethan had frozen in his seat. Lies. He hadn't insisted on anything. He had gone out with his cousin that night. He looked at Nathan, waiting for him to wink, to show it was a plan, to show he was being forced. But Nathan wouldn't look at him.

Even as the handcuffs tightened, Ethan had told himself, "Nathan is being threatened”The trial moved quickly, and before Ethan could fully comprehend what was happening, the verdict was delivered, he was guilty.

Just like that, Ethan went from being a young man with a promising future to a criminal hated by the entire world.

Back in the prison cell, Dovan listened carefully. His pity for Ethan deepened.

“I’m sorry, kid,” Dovan said quietly. “But if your uncle betrayed you, why didn’t your brothers help you?”

Ethan sighed. He had asked himself that same question countless times.

“My uncle must have threatened them,” Ethan said. “I hope they’re safe.”

He chose to believe that his brothers still cared about him.

Before Dovan could respond, the sound of footsteps echoed through the hallway. Guards were approaching.

They stopped in front of Ethan’s cell.

Without explanation, they opened the door and grabbed Ethan roughly. He struggled weakly, but his body had no strength left. He hadn’t eaten properly in two days.

Dovan stood up despite his fear.

“Hey! Where are you taking him?” he demanded.

One of the guards pushed Dovan to the ground violently.

Ethan was dragged out of the cell and thrown into a dark room. Fear gripped him as the guards locked the door behind him.

Then he saw them raise their whips.

One of the guards smiled cruelly.

“Pretty boy,” he said mockingly, “I promise it won’t hurt.”

The first whip struck Ethan’s chest.

Pain exploded through his body.

He cried out, his entire body trembling.

The second whip came down harder, then another .

His skin tore open, blood staining his clothes. Ethan collapsed on the ground, curling into himself as he tried desperately to protect his face. He was shaking, overwhelmed by pain and fear.Then a voice spoke.

“Enough.”

The single word cut through the air with quiet authority.

Ethan froze.

His heart skipped painfully against his ribs. That voice. Even through the haze of pain and exhaustion, he recognized it. Slowly, trembling, Ethan forced himself to lift his head. His vision blurred for a moment before it focused on the figure standing near the door.

“Nathan…?” he whispered weakly.

Tears filled his eyes instantly, blurring his vision again, but this time they came from relief rather than pain. Nathan had come. His brother had come for him.

Nathan stood there, tall and composed, dressed in a perfectly tailored suit that looked completely out of place in the filth and cruelty of the prison. His hair was neat, his posture confident, and not a single wrinkle or stain touched his appearance. He looked exactly the same as Ethan remembered him strong, reliable, and untouchable.

For a brief moment, hope bloomed in Ethan’s chest.

Nathan chuckled softly as his eyes moved over Ethan’s broken form.

“Oh, Ethan,” he said calmly, almost amused. “You really are pathetic.”

The words struck Ethan harder than any whip.

Ethan’s lips trembled. “I… I knew you would come,” he said weakly, his voice cracking. “I knew you wouldn’t abandon me, I knew Uncle must have forced you”.

Nathan let out a low laugh, shaking his head slightly as if he had just heard something absurd.

“Forced?” Nathan chuckled. “Ethan… I wasn't forced , I testified against you willingly.”

Ethan stared at him, confusion slowly replacing the fragile relief he had felt moments ago. His mind struggled to understand Nathan’s words.

“Nathan… what are you saying?” Ethan asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

Nathan stepped closer, until he stood just inches away from Ethan. He looked down at him with an expression Ethan had never seen before an expression filled not with concern or brotherly affection, but with contempt.

“You still don’t understand, do you?” Nathan said quietly.

He crouched slightly, bringing himself closer to Ethan’s level, his eyes cold and unwavering.

“I didn’t come here to save you,” Nathan continued. “I came here to see you suffer”

Ethan’s heart pounded painfully.

“…Why?” he asked weakly.

Nathan’s expression hardened.

“Because I hate you.”

For a moment, Ethan wondered if he had misheard.

Nathan’s eyes darkened as years of resentment surfaced without restraint.

“I’ve always hated you, Ethan,” Nathan said. “From the moment we were children, you were always better than me, smarter, good in everything.”

His jaw tightened.

“Father trusted you more. Mother praised you more. Every servant, every business partner, every person who ever met us they all looked at you like you were perfect.”

Nathan laughed bitterly.

“And me? I was always second.”

Ethan shook his head weakly, tears streaming down his face.

“That’s not true… I never..”

“It is true,” Nathan interrupted coldly. “You overshadowed me in everything. No matter how hard I worked, no matter what I achieved, I was always compared to you.”

He leaned closer, his voice dropping lower.

Nathan paused, his eyes filled with something dark and ugly.

“And then Uncle Stanley came to me with a solution.”

Ethan’s breathing stopped.

Nathan smiled faintly.

“He told me we could remove you.”

The room seemed to spin.

“And I agreed.”

Ethan’s entire body trembled violently.

“No…” Ethan whispered. “No… you wouldn’t… you couldn’t…”

Nathan chuckled softly, his expression devoid of remorse.

“You see, Ethan, this is why I’ve always despised you,” Nathan said. “You live in a fantasy where everyone is good.”

He straightened his posture, looking down at Ethan with absolute coldness.

“But I’m not good.”

He met Ethan’s shattered gaze directly.

“I helped frame you.”

Those four words destroyed whatever hope Ethan had left.

“But I'm your brother Nathan?” Ethan asked weakly, his voice broken.

“That’s exactly why,” Nathan said simply.

He adjusted his tie calmly, as if this conversation meant nothing to him.

“As long as you existed, you would always be the heir, the favourite and perfect son.”

He leaned closer, his voice barely above a whisper.

“But now, you’re nothing.”

Nathan gently patted Ethan’s head, the gesture disturbingly gentle, like a mockery of affection.

“Look at you now, from the golden boy to a mere criminal”. He looked at Ethan one last time” Goodbye, brother”.

Ethan reached out weakly, desperation flooding his voice.

“Nathan… please… don’t leave me here…”

Nathan did not respond.

He turned around to the guards signalling them to continue beating Ethan, and began walking toward the door without hesitation, he left. Ethan watched his brother leave him in despair .The guards moved closer, their whips raised, ready to strike. Ethan pressed his head into his hands, trembling in fear, bracing for the pain he knew was coming.Then suddenly heavy steel reinforced door exploded off its hinges. The sound was like a thunderclap in the small, suffocating room. The guards froze, their weapons hovering in mid-air.,”Raise your hand on him again , and you'll lose the hand” a voice boomed at the door.Blinded by arrogance, the guard didn't stop. He began the downward swing.

BANG.

A single, deafening shot shattered the silence. The guard collapsed, howling as he clutched his shredded wrist.

"You idiot!" the second guard shrieked, backing away in pure terror. He wasn't looking at the blood; he was staring at the man in the doorway. "You absolute fool! You just disobeyed Damien Blackwood’s orders!"

The wounded guard’s scream died instantly. He began to shake, his face turning the color of ash as he realized whose presence he was in.

Through the drifting smoke, Damien Blackwood stepped forward. He was a vision of terrifying perfection. Standing well over six feet, his silhouette was broad and imposing, draped in a charcoal suit.His eyes, cold and calculating, swept over the room with a predatory coldness that made the oxygen feel thin.

At a silent flick of Damien's wrist, his own men silent, professional shadows swarmed the room. They didn't say a word as they grabbed the two prison guards by their collars and dragged them out like bags of trash, leaving only Damien and Ethan in the room.

Ethan looked up, heart pounding. Fear, shock, and awe collided in his chest.It was Damien Blackwood Even in prison, even bleeding and battered, Ethan knew the name. The man who destroyed empires, feared more than politicians, the” living Yama” now stood before him.

Damien stepped closer, his presence overwhelming. Cold, calculating eyes locked on Ethan, assessing him. He crouched slightly, leveling himself with Ethan. “You look disappointed,Were you expecting your brother to come back for you?”Damien said in a calm yet dangerous voice .Ethan’s lips trembled in fear . “…Why are you here?”

Damien didn’t answer immediately. He extended a hand slowly to touch the wound , Ethan flinched. Damien paused, then withdrew it, leaving the air thick with tension. Finally, his voice cut through the silence, sharp and deliberate:

“I’m here to offer you a deal, Ethan Vale.”

Ethan’s chest tightened in fear wondering what someone like Damien could want with him, then Damien’s words hit like lightning:

“Marry me.”