Reborn to take over the stage

Pain.It was the first thing Ethan Blake felt.A crushing pain spread through his chest as if the truck had hit him only a second ago. His body jerked violently, and he sat upright in bed, gasping for breath. Cold sweat covered his forehead as his heart pounded wildly against his ribs."I'm... alive?"He looked around in confusion.There were no flashing ambulance lights. No hospital machines. No smell of disinfectant. Instead, he found himself in a modest bedroom that he knew better than anywhere else in the world.The faded blue walls.The old wooden desk covered with scattered sheets of music.The secondhand keyboard by the window.The worn guitar leaning against the wardrobe.Every detail was exactly the same.His breathing became uneven."This is... my room."He threw the blanket aside and stumbled toward the mirror hanging on the wall.The young man staring back at him was unmistakably Ethan, but not the broken man who had died on a rainy highway.His face looked younger.His ey

The following evening, Ethan arrived at his father's house carrying a black backpack over one shoulder. His expression was calm, but every step he took was part of a carefully planned performance. In his previous life, he had always walked into this house hoping to earn his father's approval. Tonight, he expected nothing. That freedom made him stronger than he had ever been.Richard Blake looked up from the dining table. "You're late.""I stopped by the music store," Ethan replied as he placed his backpack beside his chair.Jason glanced casually at the bag before smiling. "Still buying music books?"Just a few notebooks.Dinner began in uncomfortable silence. Richard spent most of the meal praising Jason's recent performances at local events, barely acknowledging Ethan except to criticize his habit of spending too much time alone. Ethan listened quietly, no longer bothered by words that once broke his heart. He had already accepted a painful truth—his father loved the successful imag

Ethan barely slept that night. He replayed the security footage repeatedly, pausing every few seconds to study the stranger's movements. The hood concealed the person's face, and the gloves hid any identifying marks, but the silver ring engraved with a wolf's head stood out clearly. It wasn't an ordinary piece of jewelry. It looked custom-made, expensive, and memorable. Ethan knew he had seen it before, but no matter how hard he tried, the memory remained just out of reach.The next morning, he copied the footage onto another flash drive and locked it inside the metal tin beneath the floorboards. This time, he wasn't taking any chances. In his previous life, he had trusted people. In this life, he trusted evidence.When he arrived at Harmony School of Music, the hallway buzzed with excitement. A large notice had been pinned to the bulletin board outside the auditorium.National Youth Music Competition – Internal Auditions Begin in Four Weeks.Students crowded around the notice, discus

Jason stood in the empty hallway long after Professor Morris walked away. His expression remained calm, but inside, panic was beginning to take hold. Things were slipping beyond his control. Ethan was no longer the timid younger brother who quietly accepted every accusation. He had become careful, confident, and strangely impossible to predict."There must be something he's hiding," Jason murmured to himself. "And whatever it is... I'll find it."The school showcase was only two weeks away. It wasn't as prestigious as the National Youth Music Competition, but it would be attended by music producers, talent scouts, and journalists looking for the next rising star. Whoever impressed the audience that night would instantly become the center of attention.Jason had no intention of allowing that person to be Ethan.The following morning, Ethan arrived early at school to continue practicing. As he walked toward the piano room, he noticed Lily waiting outside with two cups of coffee."I gues

The final note lingered in the air long after Ethan's fingers left the piano keys. For several seconds, the auditorium remained completely silent. It was the kind of silence every musician dreamed of—the silence of an audience too moved to clap because they were still living inside the music.Then the applause erupted.People rose from their seats one after another until the entire auditorium was standing. The sound of clapping echoed through the hall like rolling thunder. Some parents wiped tears from their eyes, while others smiled at the young man sitting quietly at the piano.Ethan slowly stood and bowed.This applause felt different.Three years ago, he had stood on another stage watching someone else receive praise for music that belonged to him. He had been powerless, crushed beneath lies and betrayal. But tonight, every clap, every cheer, and every smile belonged to him alone.Backstage, Jason stared at the stage with a pale face. His fingernails dug into his palms until they