"The Fifth Dragon" by Leah Arden, summary Automatic translate

This book is the culmination of an Asian duology about humans and divine beings, published in 2023. The main action revolves around the protagonists’ attempts to stop a powerful being once and for all. This ancient being is desperate to completely subjugate the vast empire of Khorin.

Captivity in dark caves

The story begins with Asharin’s plight. She has been held captive for a long time by Aiden. This stern man conceals the true, terrifying essence of the Imoogi. The creature can easily manipulate magical currents and the fragile destinies of humans. Aiden harbors strong, conflicting feelings for his captive. He has safely locked her away in dank, stone-lined underground labyrinths. The villain forces the girl to wear luxurious, traditional Khorin dresses at all times.

The expensive clothes contrast sharply with the horrific conditions of the cave. Asharin constantly suffers excruciating physical pain. Fresh wounds on her body completely fail to heal due to the effects of the creature’s venom. The girl regularly attempts to kill her cruel tormentor, actively using any available hard objects to attack. Aiden only laughs condescendingly at her attempts. He thwarts any physical attacks directed at him with surprising ease.

One day, a man roughly takes even an ordinary metal fork from her. Asharin often recalls the recent powerful explosion in her native mountain temple. This terrible tragedy forever deprived her of those closest to her. Now she is left completely alone in the frightening, cold darkness. The wet stones of the cave become her only silent companions.

Long-awaited salvation

After several weeks of agonizing confinement, the situation changes dramatically. Asharin is suddenly awakened by a strange, powerful vibration in the ground. Loud, powerful explosions echo in the distant caves. A group of brave rescuers secretly enters the tangled underground tunnels. Kalid and Risha miraculously find their exhausted, missing friend. The rescuers quickly free the weak girl from the heavy, cold iron chains.

Asharin is so physically weak that she barely registers her surroundings. She falls asleep instantly in the caring arms of her strong friends. She comes to on the surface of the earth. For the first time in a long time, she sleeps comfortably on a regular, flat mat. The soft, clean fabric feels like an incredible, unimaginable luxury.

Asharin’s eyes are severely unaccustomed to the bright daylight. The rich world around her seems like an incomprehensible collection of blurred color spots. Risha grips the rescued woman’s thin, weak hand tightly. The rescuers carefully lead the former captive to the safety of the warm south.

The difficult road to the south

The journey from the village of Shilina to the southern province is incredibly time-consuming. Travelers must cover dozens of kilometers over six long days to reach the border. The chosen route then requires another week of walking to the city of Haloi. Asharin is completely exhausted after the first four hours of continuous walking. She suffers from extreme physical exhaustion.

Her tired mind is tormented by very heavy, dark memories. The girl finds it unbearable to bear the enormous burden of her dark past. Risha decides to slightly alter her tired friend’s distinctive appearance. She carefully cuts Asharin’s long hair to the middle of her back. This simple act perfectly helps symbolically shed some of the cave horror she experienced.

The faithful friends continue their long journey through the dense autumn forests. They often stop for short rest stops in the forest and take care of the sick girl in every way possible. Asharin often cries quietly on cold, dark nights. Ryan and Risha take turns patiently comforting her during these dark moments of depression.

Return to the Allies

The travelers safely cross the guarded state border. Dense wild forests quickly give way to a wide, smooth trade route. Vast, flooded rice fields stretch for miles around. Khalid joyfully informs everyone on the expedition that they have reached completely safe territory. Asharin still instinctively fears open, defenseless spaces.

The rescued girl needs a long time to fully adapt mentally. She often recalls her past life as a difficult political double. Her well-honed skills of constant dissimulation help her hide her subtle inner tremors. The group of weary travelers finally meets their old acquaintance, Kangmin. Risha secretly passes him a short letter for Ryan.

This short, condensed message promises their imminent return home. Asharin sips hot herbal tea and listens attentively to the quiet conversations of her friends. The girl is acutely aware of her incredible, miraculous survival. She narrowly escaped certain death in a damp mountain cave. Now she will joyfully reunite with Ryan and Princess Nayeon.

Seeking political support

While Asharin slowly regains its lost strength, the remaining legitimate guardians are actively preparing for a large-scale, bloody war. Ryan and Princess Nayeon are urgently gathering a powerful army. They are eager to quickly liberate the occupied western provinces from Aiden’s brutal rule. For a successful, full-scale military offensive, they desperately need strong, reliable allies.

The clever princess desperately seeks military support from the powerful Emperor Khorin. The ruler of this vast, prosperous empire pursues solely his own selfish financial interests. He greatly benefits from the severe economic weakening of the rebellious, proud West. The Emperor is in no hurry to send his regular, trained troops to provide real military support.

The young Guardians clearly understand the extreme gravity of their current precarious situation. They must fight courageously against superior forces and a cunning, trained enemy. Ryan trains diligently every single day. The angry youth is determined to personally exact revenge on Aiden for the severe pain he inflicted on Asharin.

A difficult moral choice

To achieve final, unconditional victory over this dangerous enemy, the Guardians must permanently destroy the Fifth Dragon’s true physical body. This is an incredibly difficult and extremely dangerous task. The tense situation is dramatically complicated by one unexpected, chance discovery: Khalid mysteriously disappears without a trace from the guarded military camp in the dead of night.

Tao quickly brings Ryan some very disturbing and frightening news about this sudden nocturnal disappearance. It turns out that Kalid and Asharin accidentally discovered a secret, hidden clutch of Imoogi eggs. The heroes face a truly horrific moral dilemma. They can mercilessly kill the enemy’s innocent, defenseless offspring for a quick, easy victory.

The alternative peaceful solution involves a desperate, bold attempt at direct negotiations. Asharin is determined to preserve the fragile lives of Aiden’s young children. She sincerely hopes to profitably trade their basic safety for a long-lasting truce. This kind young woman firmly believes in the real possibility of ending this terrible, senseless bloodshed forever.

An unexpected magical connection

Khalid attempts to carefully apply his powerful magic to the large Imoogi eggs. He desperately wants to directly influence the growing fetus within the hard shell. Suddenly, the entire complex magical process abruptly halts. The glowing, hot palms of the young man instantly fade. Asharin quickly intuitively understands the true cause of this strange magical anomaly.

Aiden’s residual venom still flows abundantly through her warm blood. The tiny child of the powerful dragon clearly senses the presence of its native venom. The hidden fetus completely mistakes Asharin for its true mother. This unique, strong biological bond instantly ruins Kalid’s entire original, bold plan.

It’s now much more difficult for them to freely manipulate someone else’s valuable offspring with magic. Khalid sadly acknowledges the obvious deterioration of their strategic negotiating position. Ryan’s chances of a fair and clear victory in open combat are now rapidly diminishing. The heroes are forced to urgently and radically change their initial tactics.

Battle of the elements on the plateau

At this very moment, the brave Ryan boldly engages Aiden in a brutal battle. A bloody, merciless battle unfolds on a wide, empty stone plateau. The evil opponents clash furiously for over an entire, tense hour. Ryan makes active use of powerful, deadly discharges of atmospheric lightning.

The ground quickly becomes thick with deep, smoking craters. Formerly beautiful green grass instantly turns into a black, scorched, dead wasteland. A solitary old oak tree bursts into flames from a direct, powerful bolt of electricity. Aiden confidently applies his immense, brute strength. He grabs the young man by his thick clothing and roughly pulls him toward him.

The enormous, evil creature quickly attempts to blind its opponent with its caustic, acidic saliva. Ryan slams his hard forehead into the enemy’s face with all his might. The nasal cartilage cracks loudly from the blow. Hot, dark blood spurts across the face of the enraged, powerful Imoogi. Aiden is forced to retreat for several long seconds. In the heat of the terrifying, intense battle, Ryan sustains a dangerous wound. The searing venom penetrates deep into his left leg.

The price of the long-awaited truce

Asharin and Kalid rush to the aid of the wounded Ryan. They carefully carry the hatched snakeling with them. The brave heroes quickly make their way through the completely destroyed city. They want to shorten their difficult and dangerous journey as much as possible. Bright flashes of lightning on the high mountain plateau serve as excellent landmarks.

Asharin boldly and fearlessly steps out onto the open battlefield at the most critical moment. She confidently and firmly stands between the wounded and tired Ryan and the furious and aggressive Aiden. She loudly and bluntly orders the powerful Imoogi to stop immediately. She earnestly offers him the peaceful reclamation of her own living child.

Asharin tells the enemy directly: "Go to the bottom of the sea." The girl’s main condition is extremely simple and very clear. Aiden must disappear forever into the deep, dark abyss of the waters. He will be able to return only after fully regaining his true form as a great dragon. Aiden is acutely aware of the physical presence of his living child. The powerful, blind anger of the ancient creature quickly gives way to a basic animal instinct to preserve its offspring.

A long thousand-year wait

Aiden slowly and obediently bows his massive, heavy head to the fragile Asharin. He takes the small snakeling with extreme care and walks away in complete silence. The girl clearly feels warm waves of sincere gratitude and a slight, sad, melancholy feeling in her skin. These powerful, profound emotions emanate directly from the departing, enormous, ancient creature.

The natural, slow process of transforming the Imoogi into a truly powerful dragon will take exactly one thousand years. Asharin understands the enormity of this colossal timeframe perfectly well. By the time of his inevitable return, neither she nor Ryan will be among the living for a long time. The rescued girl is now experiencing a very strange, complex mixture of emotions. She even feels a little sorry for her defeated, powerful enemy.

Despite all this, she quietly rejoices in her typically short human mortality. Asharin is genuinely glad for her allotted lifespan. She will never again have to personally forgive the Fifth Dragon in the distant, foreseeable future. She calmly surveys the beautiful, yellow autumn forest. Thunder rumbles loudly in the distance, and heavy gray clouds slowly gather. The usual, beloved, cold autumn storms begin. The war has been successfully stopped without the complete, total destruction of the formidable, insidious enemy.