I'm lying on my bed, face down, playing a game with characters that are just like the ones in my friend's book. It's insane how popular heir book has become, it even got made into a game!
"I lost again! Argh!" I flung my phone across the room and grabbed a pillow to bite into, I was so mad. I can't believe Xuán Míng is more powerful than my favorite main character, Xiào Fēng. They're both dragons!
I listened as the bathroom door clicked shut, signaling that Zhi was finished showering. I continued to lie face-down, working the pillow into a frenzy, until the gentle click-clack of Zhi's slippers reached my ears. There was a brief pause, then a soft thunk as my phone was placed on the nightstand.
"You don't look so good, Zai. Anything bothering you?" Zhi settled down on the bed and ran her fingers through my hair. "I found your phone on the floor. Did something happen?" There was a touch of concern in her voice.
I sat up, a little grumpy, and plopped down onto the bed in a squat. "I read your book all the way from season 1 to 4, but why can't I win this game? It's so frustrating!" I whined. It's true, I've read all of it, except for the upcoming season, so why can't I finish the game? It doesn't make sense!
Zhi chuckled, "You read it, but did you actually understand it?" she asked, her smile making me more puzzled. I had no idea what she was talking about.
She scooted over to grab the book from the nightstand, then slid back into her spot. "If you really paid attention to the book, you'd totally win that game" she said, handing me the book. "Read the title." As she instructed, I read the title out loud "A Throne of Ash and Bone: The Rise of the Shadow Dragon."
What was she trying to say?
I looked at her, my brow furrowed, and pointed at the book in my hand. "What's so important about the title?"
"You never wonder why that book is so popular, do you?" she asked.
"Because it's well-written? The plot is interesting?" She shook her head at my answer.
"You still don't understand. Just read it again." She stood up and went to her desk where she was writing the next season of the book.
I frowned. I just finished reading it, and now I have to read it again? Is there a chapter I skipped? That's the only reason I can't finish the game, right? But I know all the characters, even the places, so what don't I understand?
I opened the book and read the first page 'My fantasy novel features dragons unlike any you've ever imagined.' I smiled and turned to the second page '"Reading isn't just about finishing the pages; it's about engaging with the narrative. Perhaps the story wasn't meant to be fully understood on the first pass. Let it linger, and see what emerges.'
Xiào Fēng, sunlit hero and Wind Dragon, is bound by prophecy to Xī Yuè, a seemingly innocent orphan—a pact sealed by their deceased masters to safeguard the three realms. But Xī Yuè is destined to become the ultimate calamity. Meanwhile, Xuán Míng, shadow-clad and wrongly accused, fights against the three realms' hatred. Xiào Fēng's agonizing fate: to choose between love and the world's salvation, a choice dictated by the very pact that sealed his destiny, a choice he makes, heart-wrenchingly, by ending Xī Yuè's life to save the world.