"The West’s Double" by Leah Arden, summary Automatic translate

In 2022, the first part of a fantasy duology based on Korean mythology was published. This book is a story of lost identity and self-discovery in the harsh realities of a fictional world. The protagonist spent nine years in a false body, giving up her own name to serve as a human shield for the heir to the throne.

Life in Someone Else’s Shadow and the Return of the Guardian

A girl named Asha lives in the Temple of the Western Dragon in the Khorin Empire. She acts as a double for Nayon, the daughter of the Viceroy of the West. This identity substitution is a standard security tactic for protecting high-ranking officials. An old imperial law has rendered Asha a faceless shadow. She is forbidden to show real emotion. During receptions, she sits for hours on special cushions on the floor, suffering cramps in her numb legs, and stares through wooden panels covered in thin rice paper.

The real daughter of the vicar is safe. Asha goes out in public, receives guests, and is constantly exposed to risks. One day, she is even attacked, after which she has to wash the blood from her face behind the kitchen pavilion. Asha has only six months left of her contracted service. Then she plans to return to normal life. At the temple, she communicates with her grandfather, as well as the real Na-yeon and her brother, Jun. The relationship between the girls remains complex: they are bound by a shared secret and a constant threat.

Asha often spends her free time working. She can spend three hours helping her grandfather in the garden, weeding the beds. They also care for the Sacred Maple. This tree has grown to an unprecedented size thanks to the magic of the Dragon of the West. Life at the temple seems calm until Ryan returns. He was absent for three years and now returns with a completely different status. Ryan has become the guardian of the Western Dragon’s soul.

Asha harbors strong feelings for him, but carefully conceals them. Ryan’s status as a deity’s avatar makes their possible rapprochement difficult. Ryan demands that Asha take up her sword and resume training. He tests her combat skills after a long separation. Fortunately, Asha wears thick pants under her dress, allowing her to take long strides in combat. After sparring, Asha sheaths her sword and, with a proper bow, hands the weapon over to Ryan. Her inner conflict mounts. Her term of service is coming to an end, and she fears losing her connection to the temple forever.

Gemini Festival and a Dangerous Guest

The Twin Festival begins in the province. Preparations begin early in the morning. Asha is bathed in fragrant water, treated with moisturizing oils, and given elaborate makeup and hair styling. Numerous guests arrive at the temple. Among them, Aiden, the king of the neighboring state of United Evir, stands out. He is handsome, charming, and attracts a great deal of attention. Asha is forced to accept his advances while maintaining her Nayeon disguise. Aiden appears to be a sincere ruler, but his behavior arouses suspicion.

King Evira is actively getting to know Ryan and the other temple servants. Tension hangs in the air. Asha is even approached with a request to introduce her to the future Guardian of the South. The girl tries to conceal her true identity, which requires enormous effort. Aiden constantly provokes her emotions. During one conversation, Asha bluntly tells Aiden that the wine he offered her was not poisoned. She accuses him of lying, openly calling him a "lying snake."

The betrayal of King Evir and captivity

After the festivities end, the situation changes dramatically. The temple is suddenly attacked. A fire breaks out, killing the defenders. Asha and Nayeon are taken hostage. The true identity of the attackers is revealed. Their leader is Aiden himself. He deceived everyone, taking advantage of the Western Dragon’s hospitality. Aiden takes the girls to an unknown location, throwing them into dank dungeons deep underground.

Asha awakens in a cell to the touch of a cool cloth to her face. Her body aches with pain. She learns that Aiden serves the Fifth Dragon — a forgotten and exiled deity. The ancient legend of the four dragons concealed the truth about the fifth. The Fifth Dragon thirsts for revenge for centuries of oblivion. Aiden is its primary instrument. Aiden himself behaves cruelly, demanding complete obedience and reveling in his power over his captives.

A threat to the guardians and desperate decisions

In captivity, Asha meets other prisoners. Important hostages are held in the adjacent cells. Among them, she meets Khalid. It turns out that Khalid is the Guardian of the South. They share the scant information they have and realize the true scope of Aiden’s conspiracy. King Evir’s goal is to capture all dragon guardians and their souls. He plans to transfer this immense power to the Fifth Dragon to destroy the current world order.

Asha realizes the terrible truth: Ryan could also fall victim to this plan. She overhears the guards talking about their intention to lure the Guardian of the West into a trap. Asha makes a firm decision to warn Ryan at any cost. She shares her thoughts with Khalid. Together, they begin searching for weaknesses in the prison’s defenses. Khalid reveals hidden paths through the caves leading back to the Qhorin Empire, several kilometers away.

However, their physical strength is drained by constant interrogation. Aiden regularly tortures Asha, using dark magic to inflict excruciating pain and break her will. One day, Asha attempts suicide. She wants to free her soul and thwart Aiden’s plans. The girl realizes that her body is merely a human shield for Nayeon. But Aiden stops her at the last moment. He uses cruel magic on her, directly affecting her eyes. The girl screams in pain, recalling her past injuries. King Evira rejoices in his victory over her body, declaring that he has no intention of releasing his valuable captive.

Destruction of the dungeon and hope for salvation

Events accelerate when powerful explosions reverberate in the dungeon. The ground trembles beneath their feet, and stone vaults begin to collapse. The temple supporters have launched a full-scale assault on Aiden’s secret base. Amid the chaos and smoke, rescuers make their way to Asha’s cell. Risha, Shin, and Kalid find the exhausted girl chained to the wall. Asha is thrashing about in a delirium. She doesn’t understand what’s happening around her and is terrified of her sudden blindness.

Aiden had blinded her with a spell. Khalid placed his broad palm over her eyes, attempting to repair the damage. He forced a bitter healing tincture down her throat. Khalid acted quickly and decisively, realizing that time was running out for salvation.

Risha hugs Asha, trying to calm her trembling body. The elder one rocks the girl like a baby. Shin and Khalid hastily knock the heavy chains off the ring in the wall. The girl gradually relaxes under the influence of the powerful medicine. Her teeth stop chattering from the chills. Risha whispers comforting words to her: "Everything will be okay, little Asha. We’ll take you away from here."

Asha falls into a deep sleep as the explosions continue. She loses consciousness, never having a chance to tell her rescuers that nothing good will happen if the explosions continue. Her service as a double has ended in disaster. The book ends with this tense moment.