THE LAST PAGE
Some people chased success.
Some chased wealth.
Others chased love.
She chased stories.
If there was one place she truly belonged, it wasn't at lavish parties, expensive restaurants, or family business meetings.
It was inside the pages of a book.
At nineteen, she had lived a life most people could only dream of.
She was the only daughter of one of the country's most respected lawyers-a man whose name carried weight in courtrooms, boardrooms, and government halls alike.
His business empire stretched farther than newspapers could report, and his fortune was enough to secure generations yet unborn.
To the world, she was the daughter of a legend.
To herself...
She was simply a girl who wanted to read.
Every room in the mansion had something expensive.
Crystal chandeliers.
Rare paintings.
Handcrafted furniture imported from different countries.
Her bedroom, however, held only one treasure she truly cared about.
Books.
Hundreds of them.
History.
Fantasy.
Mystery.
Romance.
Ancient civilizations.
Legends.
She read everything.
Sometimes twice.
Sometimes three times.
She believed every book carried a soul, and every page was another chance to live a life different from her own.
Unfortunately...
Her father believed books should build careers-not become one.
"You'll inherit my name one day," he would say while adjusting his tie before leaving for court.
"And names like ours aren't built on fairy tales."
She would smile without lifting her eyes from her novel.
"They're not fairy tales, Dad."
"They're stories."
"They're the same thing."
"No."
"They're people's hearts written on paper."
He would sigh.
"You should be reading constitutional law."
"I'm reading about an empire that collapsed because one king made the wrong decision."
"That won't make you a lawyer."
"But it teaches me why kingdoms fall."
"You don't need kingdoms."
"You need a law degree."
"And I don't want one."
Their conversations almost always ended there.
Not because either of them won.
But because neither of them ever gave up.
Whenever her father left, her mother would quietly walk into the room carrying a tray of fruit or tea.
"You two argued again?"
"He started it."
Her mother laughed softly.
"Your father has said exactly the same thing downstairs."
"He wants me to become another version of him."
"He wants you close because he loves you."
"I know..."
"But I want my own story."
Her mother sat beside her and gently brushed a strand of hair away from her face.
"Then promise me one thing."
"What?"
"No matter where life takes you..."
"...never stop being kind."
She smiled.
"I promise."
Her mother kissed her forehead before leaving the room.
Those words stayed behind long after she was gone.
That evening, rain whispered against the tall windows of the mansion while thunder rolled lazily across the dark sky.
The house was unusually quiet.
Her father was still working in his study.
Her mother had already gone to bed.
She wandered toward the tallest bookshelf in her room, running her fingers across rows of familiar titles.
Then...
She stopped.
A book she had never seen before rested between two novels she had read dozens of times.
Its cover was wrapped in worn black leather.
No title.
No author's name.
No decoration.
Just silence.
"...That's strange."
She pulled it from the shelf.
Dust drifted into the air.
The first page was empty.
The second carried only a single sentence.
"Every story chooses its reader."
A chill crept down her spine.
She laughed to herself.
"Who writes something like that?"
Thunder cracked across the sky.
The lights flickered.
For the briefest moment...
...the words on the page shimmered like liquid gold.
She blinked.
Everything looked normal again.
"It must be my eyes."
Curling beneath her blanket, she turned the page and began to read.
Completely unaware...
...that she had just opened the door to a life from which there would be no easy return.
YOU ARE READING
THE SHADOWLESS SAND
Fantasy"Stay calm." "Let go-or I'll bite you." "Don't push your luck," he hissed. "I don't make empty threats. Let go... or my dagger will taste your blood." His eyes narrowed. "I dare you," he whispered. "I'll cut out your tongue and feed it to the palace...
