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lucathiaWretch.cc is closing their services at the end of 2013! That means Yu Wo's blog will be moving, since the entire site where she's hosting her blog will be closing down. T___T; (I would hate for that to happen to me, ahhhhh)
Here's her new blog. I hope she'll be able to import her old posts or something... All of those stories and comments...!!!
Also of interest: First teaser for Gong Hua volume 4, Second teaser for Gong Hua volume 4. First one features Yin Qie Zi (Silver Violet)... Present time, I believe. Second one features Kasi, backtracking to right after he parted from Gong Hua during his youth. This novel backtracks a lot! I wonder when this will be released.
Book Writer (Human Doll Contract side story) autograph session. I guess all of these links will stop working at the end of the year. T___T;
Book Writer was a pretty cool side story! It details how Yu Shu from Human Doll Contract came to have two dolls, whose identities are Charles from No Hero and Grisia from the Legend of Sun Knight. I bet Yu Wo is having a blast with mixing her series like this. :3 While not exactly a crossover and not the actual characters from the series, it was still pretty cool seeing Charles and Grisia duke it out. Aaaand, I laughed so hard at the omake. (Translated in full under the LJ-cut~)
Summary
Book Writer is a side story in the Illusion, Virtuality, Reality series. The side story focuses on Yu Shu, who showed up in the first novel, Human Doll Contract. In this series, people have the ability to affect reality and wish dolls to life. Yu Shu is an author who wishes two of her characters to life. In Human Doll Contract, we see her with two dolls, a butler and a golden-haired man. The side story, Book Writer, details how she brought these two characters to life.
Chapter 1: The Children that Can't be Touched
At the beginning of the side story, Yu Shu receives a call from her editor. Yu Shu asks for a deadline extension (3 days, and I'll finish!), but her editor Ye Luo knows that it'd probably take her thirty days. Yu Luo gives her a 10 day extension. If she doesn't turn in her manuscript by then, Ye Luo will pay Yu Shu a personal visit.
Yu Shu is actually almost done with the manuscript, but she can't finish writing it. Every word she puts down makes her feel that the characters will come alive. They're like real people to her. It's just that she can't touch them! But they're her children!
She decides that she will "have" two of them. Just two! She must be crazy. She knows that this world is already crazy enough, yet she's adding oil to the fire...
Ten days pass. Ye Luo knocks on Yu Shu's door, but no one answers. She finds the door unlocked, but Yu Shu isn't home. She passes a strange box and a coffin, but even though Yu Shu is weird, Ye Luo doesn't think she'll hide in them. After searching around the apartment, Ye Luo is surprised that Yu Shu is no where to be found. She never sets foot outside her home unless it's an emergency!
Ye Luo makes herself some coffee even though it's not as good as the coffee Yu Shu makes. She settles to wait for Yu Shu but is startled by a noise, which turns out to be made by Yu Shu's nocturnal pet, a sugar glider. She tries to calm the little animal down but sees a shadow from the corner of her eye. Nervous, she investigates and opens the strange black box she saw, but there are only books inside. She then tries to feed the sugar glider to calm it down, but it's not hungry. She wonders why it's scared. A voice speaks out to her.
"I heard its cry. When I opened the cage, it jumped out."
It's a male voice. Most definitely not Yu Shu. Ye Luo asks where Yu Shu went and receives the reply, "To find the other person."
Apprehensive, Ye Luo tries to escape the apartment, but try as she might, she always ends up back in the living room. The man stands silently, far away from her. She realizes that he must be taking her nervousness into consideration, not wanting to startle her further. She asks him how she can leave. He doesn't know. He's never left before. Ye Luo asks him if she can get the coffee she just made. He ends up going to the kitchen for her and makes a delicious coffee.
Ye Luo asks him if he is a ghost, but he doesn't know what he is. She introduces herself. He doesn't remember his name. They continue to talk, and he tells her that Yu Shu has gone to look for someone, leaving him to look after her home. He points to the black box when Ye Luo asks where Yu Shu went, but no one can fit in that box, not even a child!
Ye Luo asks him how long she has been gone. He doesn't know what "how long" means. Ye Luo ends up teaching him.
Chapter 2: The Church of the God of Light
The scene changes to the Church of the God of Light. A female cleric closes her eyes and tries to imagine what the place should look like while populated. Several people show up, talking with and greeting each other, but once they reach the end of the corridor, they disappear. Finally, a head of gold appears, and the female cleric smiles, happy that she has successfully lured him out.
He walks over and tries to greet the others, but everyone ignores him. At first, he is shocked, but he quickly regains his composure and continues walking down the corridor. It's just that he stops greeting people.
She studies his appearance. He is handsome, like expected, since that was how she designed him, but somehow, his smile is somewhat off. She doesn't understand the discrepancy. When he walks by her, she asks, "Do you intend to stay in this place void of people?"
He only halts for a second before he continues walking and says, "I belong here."
She is shocked. He was actually able to say something like this. He is a lot more responsive than the guy at home who is nearly at the Illusion stage. She introduces herself as Yu Shu, but he merely responds that she knows him already, so why ask for an introduction?
She realizes that something is truly off about him. He doesn't just feel like an Illusion. He feels even higher leveled... She knows that he's popular among readers, but how can this be...
He asks, "Oh yeah, so what exactly is my name?"
"You know, Gr-" She nearly tells him but catches herself just in time. She relaxes a bit. She didn't get the wrong person. He is still as despicable as ever. It will be useless scheming against him. It is all her own fault for making him so despicable!
She tells him that she will tell him his name, but he will have to swear that he will follow her and become her Illusion.
The golden haired man doesn't care for her bargain. What's in a name? He can give himself a new one. Besides, he doesn't want to leave, nor does he want to follow her. After all, he is the--!
He pauses. He realizes he doesn't know what he is.
Yu Shu asks him again if he wants to stay in this desolate world. There's nothing here. The outside world is much more exciting! The golden haired man points out that today is different. Today, people milled about. She reveals that she was the one who made them appear. When she leaves, they will disappear too.
He is shocked. "They will disappear?" He quickly regains his composure, deciding that if he can keep her here, then the problem is solved!
He reaches out a hand. A huge, golden sword appears. Yu Shu opens her eyes wide. She did design a divine sword, and it is indeed his weapon, but she didn't design it to be so huge! This was the world she created! It didn't make sense that she's getting threatened!
The golden haired man coldly asks, "Stay, or die?"
After a scene change, we see Ye Luo get waken up by Yu Shu. Immediately, Ye Luo tells Yu Shu that her place is haunted, but Yu Shu manages to convince Ye Luo that it was all a dream. Ye Luo leaves, giving Yu Shu ten more days to finish her manuscript. Normally, Ye Luo would badger Yu Shu much more, but she is too spooked to stay any longer.
Ye Luo takes her luggage with her (she had planned to stay over until Yu Shu finished). At the door, she gets a whiff of delicious coffee that Yu Shu is holding in her hands. It smells a lot like the coffee the shadow in her dream made for her.
After she leaves, Yu Shu finally lets herself relax. She had been alarmed when she returned and saw Ye Luo lying on the sofa. She almost didn't know what to do. Thankfully, Ye Luo believed it was a dream.
A handsome guy asks her if she has found the other person. She realizes that he is much more solid now. It must have been the time he spent in Ye Luo's presence talking with her. She even explained a lot of stuff to him. He now speaks much more fluidly too, more maturely. Was Ye Luo that good of a teacher that she was able to do this much in the short time that Yu Shu was away?
The shadow asks her if she was able to bring the other guy out. She was not able to, and she even needs medicine for her bruises. She is also tired of calling the shadow, "You," so she tries to give him a name, but they can't use his actual name. He doesn't like any of the names she comes up with. They settle on "Butler." He actually likes it.
He asks her how she got hurt. She tells him it was the other child's fault. It had been easy to bring Butler out, so she thought the second would be easy too. She had been too careless.
When he hears her call him "Child," he wonders if she is his mother.
She laughs before she realizes that maybe he was always acting under this misunderstanding. Did he think she was his mother? He nods. (You called me Child.) She face faults. No wonder he treated her so coldly! His "mother" wasn't a good character, after all.
"If you are not my mother, then who are you?"
Yu Shu answers, "I guess, I'm your... master?"
It makes him smile while it makes her feel guilty. He immediately starts using more polite language with her.
He asks her why the second person beat her up. She tells him that butler was so easy to bring out. All she had to say was that she would tell him his name, and he came with her! Butler tells her that maybe this person will require something different. What does he want?
This gives Yu Shu an even bigger headache. What he wants... Money? Sweets? But she knows what he wants just by looking at how he refuses to leave the place and even wanted to force her to stay to keep the Church looking alive, and it's not something she can afford to give.
Butler asks if he can go with her next time. She decides to bring him along. He makes coffee for her. She wonders, "Maybe it won't be too bad if this guy becomes Real?"
Chapter 3: The Second Child
Nearly ten days pass. Yu Shu is itching to try again, but she can't until her injuries heal. She can't even type, but thankfully she has Butler who can do it for her. She successfully turns in her manuscript.
She asks Butler to get her sword from the wall. He is curious. (He wonders to himself, This is curiosity, right?) Yu Shu opens the box. There is a pile of books inside. She starts narrating the story. As she narrates, the pages of the books turn by themselves, and black text leaves the pages to surround them like a hurricane. The text forms a tall, black door. They enter the darkness.
Once inside, she asks him how he feels. He is a vampire, after all, a creature of darkness, and this is the Church of the God of Light. It should be uncomfortable for him. He tells her that he feels this place is quite surprising. (That's not what she meant!)
But it looks like he is okay, so she relaxes. They head for "the other's" room. He remarks that this place is much larger than his. She tells him that it's because he is a butler, so he only required a house. This guy is the leader of an entire Holy Temple. He recalls that the city he lives in is much bigger than this temple. She rolls her eyes. She just wants to bring them out. She isn't going to make entire cities!
He wonders about the process of bringing them out. He didn't think it would require making their home worlds.
Yu Shu is happy that he seems more and more human (brimming with curiosity!), but there are many things she can't tell him, like how he came to be. And even if he flips through her books, he won't be able to learn his name.
She wonders if he is mad. He says he is not. He goes to knock on the door of the room they arrive at. No one answers. She tells him to kick the door down, but he merely pushes it open. There is no one inside. Yu Shu lifts a rug, revealing a hidden trap door.
Before she can warn him, he jumps inside. "Wait, that guy is very dangerous--"
A cry of "Undead creature!" sounds and a fight ensues. By the time Yu Shu jumps in, they're already locked in battle. (This is the first time you met! Why is it that other people fall in love on first sight while you two fall into battle like you have deep grudges against each other?!)
Butler is a vampire, and he is very fast. The golden-haired man is a knight, but he is not as quick. He protects himself with glowing light that hovers around him. Yu Shu watches helplessly. She is not powerful enough to intervene.
Butler's speed makes it so that the golden-haired man can't land an attack. He can only defend himself. But, he releases a burst of light, causing Butler to cry in pain. Yu Shu is mad. "How dare you attack my son!"
The golden-haired man tilts his head and smiles. "He is your son? Then, if I use his life as the bargaining chip, will you be willing to stay?"
She really shouldn't have made him so despicable! But wait, did she really make him so despicable that he would go as far as threatening someone with their son?
She grits her teeth. "You're my son too! In fact, he is your brother. Dispel the light. You're not allowed to harm your older brother!"
"Brother?"
The golden haired man hesitates. This phrase seems very familiar to him. He dispels the light and scrutinizes the man more closely. The moment the man entered earlier, his gut instincts told him, "undead creature!" Even though he didn't understand what that meant, he knew he was supposed to attack. So he hadn't even had a chance to look at the other's appearance.
"Black hair. Black hair?" The man's black hair makes his heart thud. He walks closer. "You..."
Before he can finish, Butler raises his head and sinks his fangs into the golden haired man who laughs even as he falls to the floor. His blood is like poison to undead creatures!
Both are heavily injured. Yu Shu doesn't know who to help first. She tells the golden haired man to heal himself and then she lets Butler suck her blood to recover. He doesn't stop. She is forced to call his name. "Charles, return to yourself!"
He regains his wits. She relaxes and tells him to go back. She will draw a bath for him so he can bathe in blood.
Yu Shu looks down at the golden haired man and asks him how he is. He replies that he won't die from this. His complexion looks really bad though. When she approaches, she smells that he reeks of alcohol. Just how much must he have drunk to smell like alcohol when the thick stench of blood was also mixed in the air? Even though this was a wine cellar and he was indeed very good at drinking, he was never a drunk!
She understands why he had drunk so much. "Come with me. You don't really want to stay here by yourself. Stop being so stubborn."
"I want to stay here!"
"What you want isn't this place. It's companions."
"Companions... What is that?" "Why is there nothing here? There should be a lot of people here!" "Make them come out again! If you don't, I'll, I'll..."
He hadn't known what was missing, but after seeing the people she had conjured... Were those people, companions?!
She asks him again. Come with me, become my Illusion, answer to my summons, and I will make this world more real for you. You can sleep here at night and go over to my place during the day. Up to you.
He is not easily won over. He asks what she means by making the place more real. She answers that the world will have everything it's supposed to have. He asks if that will also include "companions."
It hadn't been easy for her to wish these two to life. If she were to also wish his companions to life, even an entire lifetime wouldn't be enough! But he makes her promise that she will try, no matter how long it takes. Then, he will go with her.
She makes the promise, that she will make the place more real, and that she will always work towards making his companions come to life too. (She regrets that she even mentioned making the place more real when in the end, she still had to make his companions!)
She introduces Butler. "He is also my Illusion. From now on, you will be companions."
"Who wants to be companions with someone shameless enough to sneak an attack on me!" The golden-haired man hadn't forgotten how Butler attacked him when he had hopefully stepped forward to confirm whether or not he was a companion.
Butler lifts an eyebrow. 'When I entered, you were the one who attacked without any warning. If we're talking about sneak attacks, you are one step ahead of me."
"That's because you are a creature of darkness! Attacking creatures of darkness is part of my nature!"
"You must be drunk. You smell like a drunkard."
"I am not drunk! This degree of drinking can't do me in. It's your dark element that is too strong. It made me reflexively attack."
"Drunks always claim that they are not drunk..."
Yu Shu looks at them fondly. They're just like a pair of squabbling brothers! "Come, call me mother?"
"Your mom!" The golden-haired man screams.
"Good."
"..."
The end. ;)
My thoughts:
When Yu Wo asked readers who they wanted to read a side story about (out of Ziya, Lu Yang, and Yu Shu). The responses were overwhelmingly "Yu Shu!!!" XDD;; Wow, I though Lu Yang would be the more popular choice! Seems like Yu Shu is quite popular...
After reading the side story, weeelp, count me hooked. Grisiaaaaaa. ;____; He is not the Grisia of LSK but the Grisia of Human Doll Contract, but goodness is he Grisia. From his reaction to Charles's black hair, to the want of his brothers... to not wanting to leave the Holy Temple... Tear my heart out, why don't you. T___T; Yu Shu keeps mentioning that he is different from what she imagined and designed him to be. I bet it's because he doesn't have Lesus and his brothers around to rein him in. A Grisia without his brothers is a Grisia without restraint.
...I was also quite amused that he seemed capable of wielding that huge sword he conjured.
It was also really fun seeing the showdown between Charles and Grisia. Closest thing we have to a crossover between No Hero and Legend of Sun Knight! Apparently, the answer to "How would Grisia react to Charles?" is "Attack on sight." Pfft.
Though, I do feel that LSK!Grisia would be more subtle. This Grisia here is just a bit off kilter.
Is Yu Shu based on Yu Wo? Very much so. She even has the same pet, hahaha...
Anyway, an enjoyable side story, though I guess we won't be seeing the butler and the golden haired man as much in the main story.
The extras at the end were hilarious. Have a translation.
XDDD *rolls around in laughter* Grisia, your taste buds are seriously whacked. Oh Charles... XD;; To make even the gentle Charles dislike you... Grisia, you are quite something.
Pfft. Grisia... You know, you don't have to care about skin whitening anymore, right?
Cover! Features the butler and the golden haired man. Charles from No Hero and Grisia from Legend of Sun Knight. Charles looks about right, but Grisia... braids?! XD
The butler~ (Darkness)
The golden haired man~ (Light)
The side story also includes lots of information about Ziya and Lu Yang!
What Ziya likes to wear! He wears mostly cheap stuff. The only thing expensive he owns is his watch, which was given to him by his brother-in-law as a birthday present.
Ziya's university schedule!
Left side includes a map of Ziya's daily route.
What Lu Yang normally wears. Dang, his clothes are expensive!
Lu Yang's schedule. Mostly the same as Ziya's, but he has fewer classes.
I think Lu Yang basically has Ziya learn the material for him, and then he learns from Ziya, lol.
Address book part.
From right to left, up to down. Ziya, Lu Yang, Yu Shu, Jiang Mei and Jiang Xue.
Golden haired man. Butler.
These tidbits were pretty cool! :)
Here's her new blog. I hope she'll be able to import her old posts or something... All of those stories and comments...!!!
Also of interest: First teaser for Gong Hua volume 4, Second teaser for Gong Hua volume 4. First one features Yin Qie Zi (Silver Violet)... Present time, I believe. Second one features Kasi, backtracking to right after he parted from Gong Hua during his youth. This novel backtracks a lot! I wonder when this will be released.
Book Writer (Human Doll Contract side story) autograph session. I guess all of these links will stop working at the end of the year. T___T;
Book Writer was a pretty cool side story! It details how Yu Shu from Human Doll Contract came to have two dolls, whose identities are Charles from No Hero and Grisia from the Legend of Sun Knight. I bet Yu Wo is having a blast with mixing her series like this. :3 While not exactly a crossover and not the actual characters from the series, it was still pretty cool seeing Charles and Grisia duke it out. Aaaand, I laughed so hard at the omake. (Translated in full under the LJ-cut~)
Summary
Book Writer is a side story in the Illusion, Virtuality, Reality series. The side story focuses on Yu Shu, who showed up in the first novel, Human Doll Contract. In this series, people have the ability to affect reality and wish dolls to life. Yu Shu is an author who wishes two of her characters to life. In Human Doll Contract, we see her with two dolls, a butler and a golden-haired man. The side story, Book Writer, details how she brought these two characters to life.
Chapter 1: The Children that Can't be Touched
At the beginning of the side story, Yu Shu receives a call from her editor. Yu Shu asks for a deadline extension (3 days, and I'll finish!), but her editor Ye Luo knows that it'd probably take her thirty days. Yu Luo gives her a 10 day extension. If she doesn't turn in her manuscript by then, Ye Luo will pay Yu Shu a personal visit.
Yu Shu is actually almost done with the manuscript, but she can't finish writing it. Every word she puts down makes her feel that the characters will come alive. They're like real people to her. It's just that she can't touch them! But they're her children!
She decides that she will "have" two of them. Just two! She must be crazy. She knows that this world is already crazy enough, yet she's adding oil to the fire...
Ten days pass. Ye Luo knocks on Yu Shu's door, but no one answers. She finds the door unlocked, but Yu Shu isn't home. She passes a strange box and a coffin, but even though Yu Shu is weird, Ye Luo doesn't think she'll hide in them. After searching around the apartment, Ye Luo is surprised that Yu Shu is no where to be found. She never sets foot outside her home unless it's an emergency!
Ye Luo makes herself some coffee even though it's not as good as the coffee Yu Shu makes. She settles to wait for Yu Shu but is startled by a noise, which turns out to be made by Yu Shu's nocturnal pet, a sugar glider. She tries to calm the little animal down but sees a shadow from the corner of her eye. Nervous, she investigates and opens the strange black box she saw, but there are only books inside. She then tries to feed the sugar glider to calm it down, but it's not hungry. She wonders why it's scared. A voice speaks out to her.
"I heard its cry. When I opened the cage, it jumped out."
It's a male voice. Most definitely not Yu Shu. Ye Luo asks where Yu Shu went and receives the reply, "To find the other person."
Apprehensive, Ye Luo tries to escape the apartment, but try as she might, she always ends up back in the living room. The man stands silently, far away from her. She realizes that he must be taking her nervousness into consideration, not wanting to startle her further. She asks him how she can leave. He doesn't know. He's never left before. Ye Luo asks him if she can get the coffee she just made. He ends up going to the kitchen for her and makes a delicious coffee.
Ye Luo asks him if he is a ghost, but he doesn't know what he is. She introduces herself. He doesn't remember his name. They continue to talk, and he tells her that Yu Shu has gone to look for someone, leaving him to look after her home. He points to the black box when Ye Luo asks where Yu Shu went, but no one can fit in that box, not even a child!
Ye Luo asks him how long she has been gone. He doesn't know what "how long" means. Ye Luo ends up teaching him.
Chapter 2: The Church of the God of Light
The scene changes to the Church of the God of Light. A female cleric closes her eyes and tries to imagine what the place should look like while populated. Several people show up, talking with and greeting each other, but once they reach the end of the corridor, they disappear. Finally, a head of gold appears, and the female cleric smiles, happy that she has successfully lured him out.
He walks over and tries to greet the others, but everyone ignores him. At first, he is shocked, but he quickly regains his composure and continues walking down the corridor. It's just that he stops greeting people.
She studies his appearance. He is handsome, like expected, since that was how she designed him, but somehow, his smile is somewhat off. She doesn't understand the discrepancy. When he walks by her, she asks, "Do you intend to stay in this place void of people?"
He only halts for a second before he continues walking and says, "I belong here."
She is shocked. He was actually able to say something like this. He is a lot more responsive than the guy at home who is nearly at the Illusion stage. She introduces herself as Yu Shu, but he merely responds that she knows him already, so why ask for an introduction?
She realizes that something is truly off about him. He doesn't just feel like an Illusion. He feels even higher leveled... She knows that he's popular among readers, but how can this be...
He asks, "Oh yeah, so what exactly is my name?"
"You know, Gr-" She nearly tells him but catches herself just in time. She relaxes a bit. She didn't get the wrong person. He is still as despicable as ever. It will be useless scheming against him. It is all her own fault for making him so despicable!
She tells him that she will tell him his name, but he will have to swear that he will follow her and become her Illusion.
The golden haired man doesn't care for her bargain. What's in a name? He can give himself a new one. Besides, he doesn't want to leave, nor does he want to follow her. After all, he is the--!
He pauses. He realizes he doesn't know what he is.
Yu Shu asks him again if he wants to stay in this desolate world. There's nothing here. The outside world is much more exciting! The golden haired man points out that today is different. Today, people milled about. She reveals that she was the one who made them appear. When she leaves, they will disappear too.
He is shocked. "They will disappear?" He quickly regains his composure, deciding that if he can keep her here, then the problem is solved!
He reaches out a hand. A huge, golden sword appears. Yu Shu opens her eyes wide. She did design a divine sword, and it is indeed his weapon, but she didn't design it to be so huge! This was the world she created! It didn't make sense that she's getting threatened!
The golden haired man coldly asks, "Stay, or die?"
After a scene change, we see Ye Luo get waken up by Yu Shu. Immediately, Ye Luo tells Yu Shu that her place is haunted, but Yu Shu manages to convince Ye Luo that it was all a dream. Ye Luo leaves, giving Yu Shu ten more days to finish her manuscript. Normally, Ye Luo would badger Yu Shu much more, but she is too spooked to stay any longer.
Ye Luo takes her luggage with her (she had planned to stay over until Yu Shu finished). At the door, she gets a whiff of delicious coffee that Yu Shu is holding in her hands. It smells a lot like the coffee the shadow in her dream made for her.
After she leaves, Yu Shu finally lets herself relax. She had been alarmed when she returned and saw Ye Luo lying on the sofa. She almost didn't know what to do. Thankfully, Ye Luo believed it was a dream.
A handsome guy asks her if she has found the other person. She realizes that he is much more solid now. It must have been the time he spent in Ye Luo's presence talking with her. She even explained a lot of stuff to him. He now speaks much more fluidly too, more maturely. Was Ye Luo that good of a teacher that she was able to do this much in the short time that Yu Shu was away?
The shadow asks her if she was able to bring the other guy out. She was not able to, and she even needs medicine for her bruises. She is also tired of calling the shadow, "You," so she tries to give him a name, but they can't use his actual name. He doesn't like any of the names she comes up with. They settle on "Butler." He actually likes it.
He asks her how she got hurt. She tells him it was the other child's fault. It had been easy to bring Butler out, so she thought the second would be easy too. She had been too careless.
When he hears her call him "Child," he wonders if she is his mother.
She laughs before she realizes that maybe he was always acting under this misunderstanding. Did he think she was his mother? He nods. (You called me Child.) She face faults. No wonder he treated her so coldly! His "mother" wasn't a good character, after all.
"If you are not my mother, then who are you?"
Yu Shu answers, "I guess, I'm your... master?"
It makes him smile while it makes her feel guilty. He immediately starts using more polite language with her.
He asks her why the second person beat her up. She tells him that butler was so easy to bring out. All she had to say was that she would tell him his name, and he came with her! Butler tells her that maybe this person will require something different. What does he want?
This gives Yu Shu an even bigger headache. What he wants... Money? Sweets? But she knows what he wants just by looking at how he refuses to leave the place and even wanted to force her to stay to keep the Church looking alive, and it's not something she can afford to give.
Butler asks if he can go with her next time. She decides to bring him along. He makes coffee for her. She wonders, "Maybe it won't be too bad if this guy becomes Real?"
Chapter 3: The Second Child
Nearly ten days pass. Yu Shu is itching to try again, but she can't until her injuries heal. She can't even type, but thankfully she has Butler who can do it for her. She successfully turns in her manuscript.
She asks Butler to get her sword from the wall. He is curious. (He wonders to himself, This is curiosity, right?) Yu Shu opens the box. There is a pile of books inside. She starts narrating the story. As she narrates, the pages of the books turn by themselves, and black text leaves the pages to surround them like a hurricane. The text forms a tall, black door. They enter the darkness.
Once inside, she asks him how he feels. He is a vampire, after all, a creature of darkness, and this is the Church of the God of Light. It should be uncomfortable for him. He tells her that he feels this place is quite surprising. (That's not what she meant!)
But it looks like he is okay, so she relaxes. They head for "the other's" room. He remarks that this place is much larger than his. She tells him that it's because he is a butler, so he only required a house. This guy is the leader of an entire Holy Temple. He recalls that the city he lives in is much bigger than this temple. She rolls her eyes. She just wants to bring them out. She isn't going to make entire cities!
He wonders about the process of bringing them out. He didn't think it would require making their home worlds.
Yu Shu is happy that he seems more and more human (brimming with curiosity!), but there are many things she can't tell him, like how he came to be. And even if he flips through her books, he won't be able to learn his name.
She wonders if he is mad. He says he is not. He goes to knock on the door of the room they arrive at. No one answers. She tells him to kick the door down, but he merely pushes it open. There is no one inside. Yu Shu lifts a rug, revealing a hidden trap door.
Before she can warn him, he jumps inside. "Wait, that guy is very dangerous--"
A cry of "Undead creature!" sounds and a fight ensues. By the time Yu Shu jumps in, they're already locked in battle. (This is the first time you met! Why is it that other people fall in love on first sight while you two fall into battle like you have deep grudges against each other?!)
Butler is a vampire, and he is very fast. The golden-haired man is a knight, but he is not as quick. He protects himself with glowing light that hovers around him. Yu Shu watches helplessly. She is not powerful enough to intervene.
Butler's speed makes it so that the golden-haired man can't land an attack. He can only defend himself. But, he releases a burst of light, causing Butler to cry in pain. Yu Shu is mad. "How dare you attack my son!"
The golden-haired man tilts his head and smiles. "He is your son? Then, if I use his life as the bargaining chip, will you be willing to stay?"
She really shouldn't have made him so despicable! But wait, did she really make him so despicable that he would go as far as threatening someone with their son?
She grits her teeth. "You're my son too! In fact, he is your brother. Dispel the light. You're not allowed to harm your older brother!"
"Brother?"
The golden haired man hesitates. This phrase seems very familiar to him. He dispels the light and scrutinizes the man more closely. The moment the man entered earlier, his gut instincts told him, "undead creature!" Even though he didn't understand what that meant, he knew he was supposed to attack. So he hadn't even had a chance to look at the other's appearance.
"Black hair. Black hair?" The man's black hair makes his heart thud. He walks closer. "You..."
Before he can finish, Butler raises his head and sinks his fangs into the golden haired man who laughs even as he falls to the floor. His blood is like poison to undead creatures!
Both are heavily injured. Yu Shu doesn't know who to help first. She tells the golden haired man to heal himself and then she lets Butler suck her blood to recover. He doesn't stop. She is forced to call his name. "Charles, return to yourself!"
He regains his wits. She relaxes and tells him to go back. She will draw a bath for him so he can bathe in blood.
Yu Shu looks down at the golden haired man and asks him how he is. He replies that he won't die from this. His complexion looks really bad though. When she approaches, she smells that he reeks of alcohol. Just how much must he have drunk to smell like alcohol when the thick stench of blood was also mixed in the air? Even though this was a wine cellar and he was indeed very good at drinking, he was never a drunk!
She understands why he had drunk so much. "Come with me. You don't really want to stay here by yourself. Stop being so stubborn."
"I want to stay here!"
"What you want isn't this place. It's companions."
"Companions... What is that?" "Why is there nothing here? There should be a lot of people here!" "Make them come out again! If you don't, I'll, I'll..."
He hadn't known what was missing, but after seeing the people she had conjured... Were those people, companions?!
She asks him again. Come with me, become my Illusion, answer to my summons, and I will make this world more real for you. You can sleep here at night and go over to my place during the day. Up to you.
He is not easily won over. He asks what she means by making the place more real. She answers that the world will have everything it's supposed to have. He asks if that will also include "companions."
It hadn't been easy for her to wish these two to life. If she were to also wish his companions to life, even an entire lifetime wouldn't be enough! But he makes her promise that she will try, no matter how long it takes. Then, he will go with her.
She makes the promise, that she will make the place more real, and that she will always work towards making his companions come to life too. (She regrets that she even mentioned making the place more real when in the end, she still had to make his companions!)
She introduces Butler. "He is also my Illusion. From now on, you will be companions."
"Who wants to be companions with someone shameless enough to sneak an attack on me!" The golden-haired man hadn't forgotten how Butler attacked him when he had hopefully stepped forward to confirm whether or not he was a companion.
Butler lifts an eyebrow. 'When I entered, you were the one who attacked without any warning. If we're talking about sneak attacks, you are one step ahead of me."
"That's because you are a creature of darkness! Attacking creatures of darkness is part of my nature!"
"You must be drunk. You smell like a drunkard."
"I am not drunk! This degree of drinking can't do me in. It's your dark element that is too strong. It made me reflexively attack."
"Drunks always claim that they are not drunk..."
Yu Shu looks at them fondly. They're just like a pair of squabbling brothers! "Come, call me mother?"
"Your mom!" The golden-haired man screams.
"Good."
"..."
The end. ;)
My thoughts:
When Yu Wo asked readers who they wanted to read a side story about (out of Ziya, Lu Yang, and Yu Shu). The responses were overwhelmingly "Yu Shu!!!" XDD;; Wow, I though Lu Yang would be the more popular choice! Seems like Yu Shu is quite popular...
After reading the side story, weeelp, count me hooked. Grisiaaaaaa. ;____; He is not the Grisia of LSK but the Grisia of Human Doll Contract, but goodness is he Grisia. From his reaction to Charles's black hair, to the want of his brothers... to not wanting to leave the Holy Temple... Tear my heart out, why don't you. T___T; Yu Shu keeps mentioning that he is different from what she imagined and designed him to be. I bet it's because he doesn't have Lesus and his brothers around to rein him in. A Grisia without his brothers is a Grisia without restraint.
...I was also quite amused that he seemed capable of wielding that huge sword he conjured.
It was also really fun seeing the showdown between Charles and Grisia. Closest thing we have to a crossover between No Hero and Legend of Sun Knight! Apparently, the answer to "How would Grisia react to Charles?" is "Attack on sight." Pfft.
Though, I do feel that LSK!Grisia would be more subtle. This Grisia here is just a bit off kilter.
Is Yu Shu based on Yu Wo? Very much so. She even has the same pet, hahaha...
Anyway, an enjoyable side story, though I guess we won't be seeing the butler and the golden haired man as much in the main story.
The extras at the end were hilarious. Have a translation.
Poison
The butler placed a jug of coffee on the table. He was just about to call Yu Shu over when he heard a scream from behind.
"What the heck is this? It's so bitter! It tastes horrible! Are you brewing poison here?"
The golden haired man was so affected by the bitterness that his face bunched together. Out of dislike, he placed the coffee far away from him.
Seeing this, the butler maintained his smile. He grabbed the sugar jar and dumped all of the sugar into the jug of coffee. There was so much sugar that it couldn't even completely dissolve. He gently said, "You were in too much of a hurry. I hadn't finished the last step. Try it again. It will definitely taste good now."
The golden haired man felt that something was not quite right. He narrowed his eyes and asked warily, "It really will taste good?"
"Really." The butler smiled a trustworthy smile.
Half in disbelief, the golden haired man grabbed the coffee jug.
After one sip, his eyes widened. At this, the butler's smile grew brighter.
"So good!"
"..."
The golden haired man relaxed. He took several more sips. Seeing that the butler's smile was somewhat frozen, he hurriedly said, "It was my misunderstanding! This tastes really good! Brew it for me again in the future!"
"...As long as you like it."
XDDD *rolls around in laughter* Grisia, your taste buds are seriously whacked. Oh Charles... XD;; To make even the gentle Charles dislike you... Grisia, you are quite something.
Skin Whitening Bath
Yu Shu let out a blood curdling shriek.
"Ah! Who added all this unnecessary stuff to the butler's bath of blood!"
The golden haired man stuck his head in with an expression that said, "You don't need to thank me."
"Isn't he going to bathe? I added my special skin whitening formula to it. I guarantee you that after he bathes, his skin will become flawlessly white and soft!"
Yu Shu clobbered him on the head. "Idiot! That blood is so that he can heal. What's with your skin whitening formula! This isn't a milk bath! Bastard, do you know how much that tub of blood cost me? Now it's useless! Bastard, you jump in for three hours. Don't come out until you become flawlessly white!"
Pfft. Grisia... You know, you don't have to care about skin whitening anymore, right?
Cover! Features the butler and the golden haired man. Charles from No Hero and Grisia from Legend of Sun Knight. Charles looks about right, but Grisia... braids?! XD
The butler~ (Darkness)
The golden haired man~ (Light)
The side story also includes lots of information about Ziya and Lu Yang!
What Ziya likes to wear! He wears mostly cheap stuff. The only thing expensive he owns is his watch, which was given to him by his brother-in-law as a birthday present.
Ziya's university schedule!
Left side includes a map of Ziya's daily route.
What Lu Yang normally wears. Dang, his clothes are expensive!
Lu Yang's schedule. Mostly the same as Ziya's, but he has fewer classes.
I think Lu Yang basically has Ziya learn the material for him, and then he learns from Ziya, lol.
Address book part.
From right to left, up to down. Ziya, Lu Yang, Yu Shu, Jiang Mei and Jiang Xue.
Golden haired man. Butler.
These tidbits were pretty cool! :)
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
Yaaaay
Date: 2013-09-05 03:08 am (UTC)a;sldkfjsaldf the parts with Grisia are even sadder than what you've mentioned D: The part about black hair... *dies* ;__;
So Yu Shu did promise to try and bring all the knights to life? 0.0 Wow I sure hope we'll get to see that... *u*
And Charles!! How happy he was at the names "butler" and "master" ;__; why is YuWo torturing her characters so muuuch D:
I guess Yu Shu would be a pretty decent master to Charles... not as epic as Ah Ye though >_>
Pfft! "Your mom!" at the end XD It was "...你媽" right? =O Funny how in mandarin "妈的“ or ”你妹“ is more common... what is it with using family members as swears lol
It sure is interesting how both Charles and Grisia are slightly off from their original selves 0u0 I wonder if it's the affect of the spell or if that would be their true selves without the "shaping" of those around them? Charles seems much more childish, and Grisia's evil level just went straight up XD
OMG the blood bath...!!! *ROFL*Where did Grisia find all his materials in Yu Shu's house? xD
The parts with Ziya and Lu Yang <3 I need to catch up with Human Doll Contract <3
*hugs* THANK YOU for the awesome summary!!! =D
Re: Yaaaay
Date: 2013-09-05 04:27 am (UTC)I had to close the book to squeal when I got to the part where Grisia says, "Black hair. Black hair?"jd kla;sdjf;klajf It was just so heart wrenching! Grisia just wants his companiooooons, but he doesn't even know that's what he's missing. (Blaack hair. He's thinking of Lesus but can't remember him!)
Grisia wouldn't go with her, haha, if she didn't promise to bring everyone to life. XDDD;; One hard child to take care of! (Yu Shu, what did you sign yourself up for... You should have known that Grisia wants his brothers the most! That means you'll need to bring to life 12 people, lol). I mean, if Charles ever remembers, the most she'll need to do is bring Ah Ye to life.
a;djf;a Charles... He's a lot happier now that he's called butler again and has a master. jlkadja;s
Haha, yup, something along that line for the swear. XD;;
I wonder... maybe Yu Shu just isn't strong enough to bring the characters to life exactly like how they're written, or maybe their experiences are just different, resulting in different people. After all, they can think for themselves now, so they're not controlled by her pen. And they also don't have their original friends and family. Charles seems like he's still learning his way around... While Grisia... haha. XD; Seriously, no restraint! (Then again, why should he care? There's nothing stopping him! And he's also confused...)
I wonder... XD;; That must not have been cheap! He ruined the blood bath, and also used up all those materials! XD;;
I really like both Ziya and Lu Yang. XD;; How much of Human Doll Contract have you read? :3
Re: Yaaaay
Date: 2013-09-05 06:23 am (UTC)Lol such a troublesome child she gave birth to xD if she wrote them then I guess she should have figured its a 12 packaged deal or nothing >_> *little sympathy there* she should have gone with Awaitsun lol! Super hot AND much less trouble xD
I guess much of Charles revolves around being a butler, so he's a bit more in his element? While Grisia is just... Yeah >_> quickly bring Lesus out before he goes for world domination Yu Shu!! (And feed us fangirls with a tearful reunion! *bricked*)
I've only read to what YuWo posted on her blog D: so 江姜03, where that creepy death hand thing crawled outta te window 0.0
Re: Yaaaay
Date: 2013-09-06 08:09 am (UTC)Charles at least gets to do what he likes (being a butler) even in this new environment, but I wonder what Grisia has in store for him. He has no Holy Temple or subordinates to lead!
Ooooh, that's pretty early on then. It gets more interesting further on, especially when Lu Yang enters the picture! :3 (Well, for me at least~). The story got gradually less creepy, I feel. XD; The beginning chapters were quite creepy...
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Date: 2013-11-21 07:38 pm (UTC)And I wrote my Grisia-Pope comment before reading this. ;)
She can probably get by with reviving just Lesus for a while. Grisia playmate/keeper.
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Date: 2013-11-22 04:55 am (UTC)Yeah, if she can only spare enough effort for one more character, I'd say Lesus would be a very good choice.
no subject
Date: 2014-01-13 10:11 pm (UTC)Charles, he'll only need Ah Ye. XD But Ah Ye would need his friends and then his brother...
...Rest in Peace Yu Shu. XD
no subject
Date: 2014-01-14 04:00 am (UTC)Pft, yeah, even if Charles only needs Ah Ye, Ah Ye might need others.... Never-ending cycle! But I think Ah Ye would do well with just Charles. No one will be as bad as Grisia...