Novels by H.P. Villa

“Bai Hu?” Jade repeated, just to make sure that she heard correctly. Mei nodded. “You can see my star sign here,” Mei added, lifting her skirt to show a distinct birthmark on her thigh. “It’s supposed to be a manifestation of the beast god Bai Hu.” “How long have you had it?” Jade asked, eyeing the birthmark with interest. She thought it strange. The mark didn’t look like anything special at all—just a patch of skin that was a little darker than the rest. Dark enough to be highly noticeable, but not unusual. Jade also had a birthmark, a particularly shaped one at the bottom of her right feet—which was also nothing special. “Since I was born.” “And how did you know that you were one of Bai Hu’s stars?” “When I found out about what I can do, I just knew that I was part of something bigger. Look.” Mei left her bed and walked towards Jade. She lifted her skirt to show her mark one more time. “If you look closer, it’s actually a character—kuí. Legs

The guard forcefully shoved Jade into a dank prison cell that stank of dirt and urine. A small cloud of dust rose as Jade fell to her knees. With a smirk, the guard shut the cell door and left.This is all a mistake, Jade thought as she picked herself up. Dusting the grime off her trousers, she yelled, “I didn’t steal anything! You’ve got the wrong girl!”She ran to the cell door and started banging until her fists went numb. “THIS IS A MISTAKE! I AM INNOCENT!” How the hell could Jin abandon her?It was true that she didn’t know him well enough. Now that she thought about it, why on earth did she even think that he could be trusted? Was it because she thought him handsome? No. That mustn’t be it. She wasn’t that shallow. Or was she? But Jin did save her, didn’t he? If it weren’t for him, she could be dead. Besides, didn’t he also promise that he would help her find her way home?

Jade awoke to the sound of a crackling fire and the smell of something cooking. As she opened her eyes, she was greeted by a dark blanket of sky filled with twinkling stars. She sat up, rubbed the remaining sleep from her eyes, and looked around. She saw someone busily tending to a small fire, just a few feet away from her. Could this person be her unnamed rescuer? “You must be hungry.” It was a man. Jade nodded. He held out a small parcel and a ceramic flask with a golden cap. “Here,” the man said. His voice, muffled by the mask that was covering the lower half of his face. He was dressed like the men from earlier, although he didn’t have a turban wrapped around his head. “All I have at the moment is some bread and a little bit of leftover wine. If you wait a little, you can have some meat. How do you feel about desert rat?” Jade almost puked. Who the hell eats rodents? “I’ll have some of the bread and wine, please,” Jade said p

Jade opened her eyes to the glare of the warm sun. Not only that— it was hot. Not warm and humid like the climate she was so used to, but dry and hot. Scorching. Even the bed—or whatever it was she was laying on—was hot. Jade sat up and screamed. She just found herself on top of a sand dune in the middle of a desert. How the hell did she get there? It took a few seconds for her to remember what happened in the hall. A moving painting… a loud growl… and an angry flash of lightning that was followed by the feeling of her body being electrocuted. Had she, by any chance, been hit by lightning? Is she dead? Was this heaven? Jade slapped her cheek to wake herself up in case this was all just a crazy dream. The stinging warmth on her cheek was enough to tell her that she was wide awake. “WHAT THE FUCK?!” Jade screamed until she lost her breath. After taking a huge gulp of air, she screamed again. She did this until she felt her throat ache. It seemed to be true. She was ind

Jade Azura never thought that she’d be spending her birthday weekend roaming around the National Museum alone. The truth was, she had other things planned. Other exciting things like spending a whole day in front of the TV and indulging in all of her favorite shows. Yes. That was the epitome of an amazing weekend. But of course, a student’s life is always subject to uncertainty. Right after rejecting a friend’s invitation to go watch an upcoming band’s gig, her own plans were broken by their professor’s unwelcome announcement.“You can talk about any cultural aspect of any country you choose,” the professor said, unbothered by the eruption of collective sighs of disappointment.“But, sir! It’s the weekend!” a disgruntled boy said.“I am aware, Mr. What’s-Your-Name,” the professor said as he rolled his eyes.“Can’t we just do the assignment next week?” a female