Clara Wu and the Jade Labyrinth

Clara Wu, along with Sung Kim, Yuka Satoh and Daniel Nguyen return to Azen with guarded excitement. They learn more about the long history of Azen and the dark journey that the original Jade Warriors had undertaken to save Azen against the Warlock armies. But now, that same journey needs to be embarked upon to save the Panda Kingdom. However, that means that the Forbidden Cave to the ominous Jade Labyrinth needs to be unsealed, to reveal its secrets once more.

Clara's breathing was rapid and shallow as her hands somehow mysteriously dissolved the rock in front of her. Her eyes bulged frantically as more of the rock dissolved allowing her to push through. She glanced behind her and in the frantic light from their jade torches, she saw Daniel pounding wildly on the rock wall as it too dissolved in front of him. When she and Daniel ventured into the misty dark Jade Labyrinth hours before, they never imagined it would come alive. The clicking noise caught her attention as she swung her head toward the other end of the tunnel. She saw the tendrils coming toward them. With all her might, she desperately pushed herself into the shallow space of the rock face. She spun around just as she saw Daniel do the same when suddenly, the tendrils thrusted and thrived between them, blocking her view of him as she screamed out, "Daniel!" In an instant, the frenzied moment turned silent as she was entombed.

-

Yuka looked at Sung incredulously. She couldn't believe what he was telling her. The Guardians had treated and trained them well but when Sung responded, "Yes, to fight their battles." She paused but she was still skeptical of the mysterious stranger in the cave who was feeding Sung an alternate reality of the World of Azen. She wanted to confront the stranger herself but Sung forbade it and asked her to trust him. She wanted to but her intuition was telling her that something was wrong, but she gave into Sung's wish. When he told her not to worry, all Yuka could do was just that, as he disappeared into the dark cave.


An immersive epic fantasy steeped in Asian themes that will allow Asian American teens, children and even adults, to see themselves in story as heroes. A story aimed at better Asian Representation!