Rowan Ashcrow had three rules for surviving life.
They were not complicated rules.
They were not profound.
They were not the kind of rules that would be written in ancient scrolls or passed down by legendary warriors.
They were simple.
Rule one: Never start the day without coffee.
Rule two: Never argue with someone who looks more tired than you.
Rule three: If something strange happens, pretend you did not see it.
The third rule had served him well.
Mostly because strange things happened around Rowan all the time.
A broken elevator would suddenly work when he entered.
A dying plant in the bookstore would bloom overnight after he watered it.
His landlord's broken heater started working after Rowan complained about being cold.
People called it luck.
Rowan called it coincidence.
The universe called it a desperate attempt to keep its most dangerous being comfortable.
Ash & Pages Bookstore was small.
It sat between an old coffee shop and a forgotten antique store on a quiet street where people rarely stopped.
The shelves were uneven.
The floorboards creaked.
The sign outside was slightly crooked.
Rowan loved it.
It was the one place where the world felt quiet.
Books did not ask questions.
Books did not expect him to be ambitious.
Books did not care that he was twenty-four years old, broke, and still had no idea what he wanted to do with his life.
They simply existed.
And Rowan understood that.
"You're smiling."
Rowan looked up.
His coworker, Lily, was staring at him from behind a stack of returned novels.
"Am I?"
"Yes."
"That's concerning."
Lily laughed.
"You know most people smile because they're happy, right?"
"I know."
"So why is it concerning?"
"Because I usually smile when I find a good book or when I discover I have enough money for lunch."
Lily looked at him.
"Which one is it today?"
Rowan checked his wallet.
Three dollars.
He looked back at her.
"Neither."
"Then why are you smiling?"
Rowan looked around the bookstore.
The morning sunlight entered through the dusty windows.
The smell of old paper filled the air.
For some reason, he felt peaceful.
"I don't know."
And that answer was more important than he realized.
Because for thousands of years, the being known as the Umbral Dragon had never known peace.
It had known power.
It had known eternity.
It had known the loneliness of existing beyond everything else.
But peace?
Never.
At exactly 11:32 AM, the bookstore door opened.
The bell above the entrance rang.
Rowan looked up.
And for the first time in his ordinary life...
He felt something strange.
A woman stood at the entrance.
She looked like she had walked out of an ancient painting.
Long silver hair.
Eyes the color of molten gold.
A black coat that looked expensive enough to buy the entire street.
She was beautiful.
But that was not what caught Rowan's attention.
It was the expression on her face.
Shock.
Absolute disbelief.
Like she had spent her entire existence searching for something impossible...
And finally found it.
The woman slowly stepped inside.
Every instinct in her immortal body screamed.
Run.
Kneel.
Worship.
Hide.
The creature before her was not human.
Her bloodline knew.
Her soul knew.
Her very existence knew.
The man standing behind the counter, holding a book and looking confused, was the same being who once stood above gods.
The same being who had watched the birth of stars.
The same being who had erased entire realities with a thought.
The Umbral Dragon.
The Void Between Stars.
The End of All Things.
But...
He was wearing a cheap sweater.
And there was a small coffee stain on his sleeve.
The woman blinked.
Once.
Twice.
This was impossible.
"Can I help you?"
Rowan's voice broke her out of her thoughts.
She stared at him.
The most terrifying entity in creation was asking if he could help her.
She almost laughed.
Almost cried.
Almost fell to her knees.
Instead, she forced herself to remain calm.
"I am looking for someone."
Rowan nodded.
"Okay."
"A person who disappeared long ago."
"Okay."
"A person who was thought to be gone forever."
Rowan tilted his head.
"Do you know their name?"
The woman stared at him.
Then quietly whispered:
"Rowan Ashcrow."
The bookstore became silent.
Rowan pointed at himself.
"That's me."
The woman stopped breathing.
Her name was Seraphina Valeris.
The last princess of the Celestial Dragon Court.
A being who had lived for 900 years.
A warrior who had defeated armies.
A woman whose name made ancient monsters hide.
And she had crossed worlds searching for one person.
Not a king.
Not a god.
Not a weapon.
The man who had once saved her life.
The man who had sacrificed his memories so she could live.
The man who had promised her:
"When I wake up again, find me."
And now...
She had.
Except he did not remember her.
"Are you okay?"
Rowan's question confused her.
"What?"
"You've been staring at me for like five minutes."
Seraphina immediately looked away.
"My apologies."
"It's fine."
He smiled.
"People stare at me sometimes."
That was true.
Usually because he was accidentally affecting reality.
Seraphina looked around the bookstore.
The ancient magic in the room was overwhelming.
She could feel it.
The world itself was protecting him.
The laws of existence bent around him.
Even now, without knowing it, he was suppressing an unimaginable power.
If Rowan truly awakened...
The universe would not survive.
"Do you believe in destiny, Rowan?"
He looked uncomfortable.
"Honestly?"
"Yes."
"I think destiny is something people say when they don't understand why something happened."
Seraphina froze.
Because those words sounded exactly like the person she remembered.
The Umbral Dragon had never believed in fate.
It believed in choices.
And Rowan...
Rowan was still him.
Buried beneath human weakness.
But still him.
That evening, Rowan returned home exhausted.
He had no idea that the woman from the bookstore had followed him.
He had no idea that six ancient factions were now searching for him.
He had no idea that every supernatural being on Earth had felt his presence.
He simply opened his apartment door.
Turned on the light.
And froze.
Because sitting on his couch...
Was Seraphina Valeris.
Holding a cup of tea.
Like she belonged there.
Rowan stared.
"How did you get into my apartment?"
Seraphina looked at him.
For the first time in centuries...
The strongest princess of the Celestial Dragon Court felt nervous.
"I believe..."
She paused.
"...that fate brought me here."
Rowan looked at his unlocked door.
Then at her.
Then back at the door.
"I really need to start locking that."
Far above the Earth, ancient beings felt his confusion.
And collectively thought:
The Dragon has awakened.
But he thinks the problem is his door lock.