Leora and the Luminescent Pearl - Ch 0, 1, 3

Opening scenes Ch 0, 1: Establish the tone and mythological foundation of the story, introduce the antagonist, depict the circumstances surrounding the main character’s birth, and foreshadow the central conflict.
Excerpt from Ch 3: Establish the main character’s voice. Most of the book is in first person POV, sprinkled with third person POV chapters. 

0
Long, long ago

Before the breath of life flowed over the world, the earth burned in youthful abundance.

Amid the primordial sea of flames, a single bubble rose to the surface and hardened into a perfect sphere--an empty vessel, white and smooth, a Pearl.

When the first of the old gods fell, the Pearl absorbed bits of his life force as his flesh turned to mountains and his blood to seas. For several millennia afterward, that energy seeped from the Pearl, sustaining the world, till one day it was depleted. 

Then the sky collapsed and the earth caved in. 

The old god's sister took pity on the lifeforms she created on earth and went about fixing the world. 

To patch the hole in the sky, she used stones forged within the five-colored flames of creation. Light from the dying embers was absorbed by the Pearl. 

Dimly, the Pearl began to glow beneath the earth, where it lay buried, hidden, till mountains rose, oceans fell, and a new generation of gods uncovered the light that shone through the darkness. 

1

Fourteen years ago

THUMP! THUMP!

The nánmù gates, adorned with nine rows of gilt-bronze studs, trembled beneath the relentless onslaught. Splinters of wood rained down, their edges glistening with hardened cedar resin. The air thickened with the scent of sacred groves—a sweetness that clung to the invaders as if the Lotus Palace itself sought to anoint even its destroyers.

Each swing of the battering ram echoed through the palace corridors like the gnashing of a primordial beast’s teeth.

At the heart of the palace, the Third Holy Princess lay within her canopy bed, her divine aura flickering like a star on the verge of collapse. Obsidian hair spilled in disheveled waves across silk pillows, strands clinging to her damp, alabaster skin. She clawed at her bedsheets, knuckles white as moonstone as another wave of pain took hold.

A girl burst into the bedroom, her peach-colored hànfú flaring around her like autumn leaves caught in a tempest. Delicate hair ornaments jingling, she skidded to a stop and knelt beside the bed. “My lady, the shields are down! The doors won’t hold!”

“Quiet, Línyán,” an older girl whispered without turning. She held back her amethyst sleeve, embroidered with magnolias, as she gently dabbed the princess's brow. The sword sheathed at her side caught the shifting, fractured light of the lotus-shaped lamp on the bedside table. 

"It's alright, Jǐnyuè." The princess said through panting breaths. "Línyán's still young. We've been safe for the last thousand years. She's never had to fight." She smiled kindly at the two girls before closing her eyes against the pain once more.

"I can fight, my lady!" Línyán got to her feet eagerly. 

Jǐnyuè put a hand on Línyán's shoulder and softly said, "I know. Now make yourself useful and bring the Third Holy Princess a basin of boiled water."

"Right. I can do that." Línyán ran out with gossamer ribbons trailing behind her. 

The other attendants clustered around the bed like spooked birds--some fluttering fans over the princess, others clutching trays of untouched tea and honey cakes. Their eyes darted between the bedroom door and the Third Holy Princess's bulging belly. 

The princess breathed against the rhythm of the battering ram, and released herself into the pain. She heard Línyán return, heard the slosh of water and the soft clang of the basin being set down at the foot of the bed. Then she heard the final splintering crack of the gates and the victorious shouts of the intruders as they barged into the courtyard. 

She whispered to herself, I'm sorry child, there's no more time, then pushed with all her strength. 

The multicolored light of the lotus-shaped lamp flickered and dimmed in response to her efforts. Jǐnyuè and Línyán looked to the lamp, concern etched on their faces. Trembling rainbow fractals shifted against the white walls, till with a final push, the room went dark. 

A new voice entered the world with a soft cooing whimper. 

Jǐnyuè placed the infant into the Third Holy Princess's arms and said, "She's beautiful."

The Third Holy Princess nodded wearily as she gazed upon the tiny face lit by the faint light of the moon filtering through the skylight. 

Línyán poked the baby's chubby cheek. "Hello, little one."

A clanging crash interrupted the moment, followed by the sound of broken vases and a cacophony of snarls and scraping steel in the hall leading to the bedroom.

The Third Holy Princess quickly wrapped the baby in a blanket and whispered a spell. A golden seal bloomed on the infant's forehead then dissolved into her pink skin. Struggling out of bed, she handed the baby to Línyán then whispered in her ear for a long while.

Línyán held the precious bundle awkwardly, looking lost.

The Princess picked up the lotus-shaped lamp and took a small item from beneath it. She placed it in Línyán's hand. "Take this. Fly away when the intruders are distracted."

 "Yes, but my lady--"

"That's an order." 

With her head down, Línyán nodded. She muttered a spell and her hànfú transformed into a dark hoodie and jeans. 

The intruders banged on the bedroom door. A deep voice boomed, "Come out now! There's nowhere to hide!"

Jǐnyuè and the other attendants drew their swords and gathered between the princess and the door.

The Third Holy Princess said in a commanding voice, "Stand down." 

Cradling the lotus-shaped lamp in one arm, she slowly walked past everyone, her long, glossy hair cascading like a waterfall down the back of her pale, regal hànfú. For a fleeting moment, her gaze rested on the child, her expression unreadable. Then she raised her hand and cast a subtle gesture toward the doors. The doors swung open, she stepped through, and they closed behind her. 

The clamoring voices outside went silent. Someone shouted, "It's the Lotus Lamp!" Uneasy whispers radiated through the crowd.

Inside the bedroom, some attendants sobbed while others fell to their knees. Jǐnyuè held onto her sword and stood frozen before the bedroom doors. Biting her lip, Línyán floated up to the ceiling, opened the skylight, and flew into the cloud layer with her precious bundle. 

Before exiting the realm, she dared to pause at a break in the clouds and looked down at their beloved mountain peak. She saw the intruders escort the Third Holy Princess from the Lotus Palace in chains. A cloaked figure summoned a swirling portal, and with a merciless shove, the princess was cast into its depths.

A large armored man on a beast mount raised the Lotus Lamp over his head in triumph. As the crowd cheered, the lamp unraveled into ethereal petals that dissolved into light as they fell. The man clenched his fist, his howl of fury echoed across the mountainside. 

Not daring to stay any longer, Línyán pushed out of the boundary of the realm and flew away at full speed. 

3

Thursday

In a town where diversity means identifying as a blonde, brunette, or redhead, someone decided to put up a "Celebrate Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month in May" printout on the wall right next to my locker. Is this some school administrator's idea of showing support? We feel bad for the only non-white person in school. I know! Let's put a poster next to her locker so she'll feel better about herself in the month of May. Hey look, everyone. We have an Asianish person among us. Let's clearly label her locker in case it wasn't obvious enough. 

Luckily for me, whoever did this didn't discover AAPI Heritage Month till the last week of May. Hopefully, this eyesore of a flyer with yellow highlighted letters over a stereotypical Japanese red and white sunburst pattern will be gone soon. 

But what if it's still there after the weekend? What if it stays up past finals? The flyer suddenly takes on a more sinister tone--that of a countdown to the end of May. A stark reminder that they may dedicate a month to people like me, but the whole year belongs to them. 

I want to laugh about it with Will, but he's not here. He's always here. Something's wrong. 

I make my way to his locker down the hall. From a distance, I see him having trouble approaching his locker. I quicken my steps, then break into a run as I see it. A drone. Hovering between him and his locker. With a printed piece of paper hanging from it that reads: "Say pretty please." 

"Those assholes." I snatch the drone out of the air, smash it to the ground, and stomp on it as it makes a feeble death rattle attempt to take off. 

"Lee-oh," he stretches out my name in his familiar slow and slurred speech. "Waait. I'll taake dat."

"Oh, right." A smile spreads across my face. We've been friends for so long that I already know what he's going to do. "They've given you the perfect gift." 

"I'll con-siider it a giiift from yooou." 

He's already fidgeting with the drone through his tensed-up fingers. 

I smile and tap on his locker. "Come on, let's get out of here before someone comes for your prize."

We walk home at a leisurely pace using our shortcut through the cemetery behind the school.  Will's forearm crutches click along the paved path between the manicured lawns as birds yell at each other in the surrounding woods. This place may look like a park, but I don't like to think of what lies beneath. Beyond the dwarf forest of tombstones, I can see the brown roof of my double-wide in the distance--the only home between the cemetery and an abandoned lot. 

We laugh about the poster by my locker till tears come out. 

"Neeext thing yoou knoow, theey'll put upp a diiveeersity poooster of kiiiids in wheeelchaairs neeext to myyy lockker."

As I catch my breath between bouts of laughter, I realize something's off about my place.