IN BASEMENT

Episode 1

The basement was buried in darkness, the kind that swallowed sound and light alike. The air was damp and heavy, carrying the stale scent of mold and rust. Water dripped slowly from somewhere in the shadows, each drop echoing faintly against the cold stone floor.

In the far corner of the room lay a girl.

Her body was curled against the wall, almost blending with the darkness around her. The thin dress she wore was torn and stained with dirt, barely protecting her from the biting cold of the basement. Dust clung to her tangled hair, and her bare feet were scratched and bruised.

She looked almost lifeless.

Anyone passing by might have believed she was nothing more than another forgotten thing left to rot in the shadows.

Time seemed frozen in that underground prison.

Only the slow dripping of water reminded the world that the night was still moving forward.

And the girl… still breathing.

The heavy wooden door creaked open, breaking the suffocating silence of the basement.

A thin line of golden light spilled down the stone stairs as footsteps echoed slowly against the damp walls. The girl on the floor did not move.

Another figure descended the staircase.

She stepped carefully, lifting the hem of her expensive dress so it wouldn’t brush against the dirty floor. Even in the dim light, the richness of her clothes was unmistakable—fine silk, delicate embroidery, and jewels that glimmered faintly with every movement.

The basement seemed too filthy for someone like her.

She stopped a few steps away from the girl lying on the ground and looked down with clear disgust.

“Well… look at you SISTER.”

At the word sister, the girl on the floor stirred.

Her fingers twitched slightly against the cold stone, and after a moment she slowly pushed herself up just enough to lean against the wall. Strands of dirty hair fell away from her face, revealing tired but sharp eyes.

She looked up at the well-dressed girl.

“Still the same, I see,” she said weakly, her voice rough from disuse. “You always did enjoy watching others suffer.”

The other girl’s lips curled into a mocking smile.

“Oh? You can still talk.” She took a slow step closer. “I thought the basement might have finally broken you.”

“Disappointed?” the girl on the floor asked quietly.

“Not really.” The sister shrugged lightly. “Your misery is far more entertaining when you’re awake.”

“You came all the way down here just to mock me?” she asked. “How bored you must be.”

“I came to remind you of your place.”

Her gaze hardened.

“You’re no longer part of this family. No title, no respect… nothing.” She gestured around the dark basement.

The words lingered in the cold air like a final sentence.

For a moment, the girl on the floor said nothing. Her fingers tightened slightly against the rough stone, as if holding herself together. Then she slowly lifted her head, her tired eyes searching her sister’s face.

“Why…?” her voice came out hoarse, almost breaking.

“Why did you do all this to me?”

The elegant girl frowned slightly, as if the question annoyed her.

“I never took anything from you,” the prisoner continued, forcing herself to sit straighter against the wall. “I never tried to hurt you. Whatever you wanted… I always gave up on that then why?.”

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