Raising an Octopus Boy

[Physical edition preorder opens March 23 at 7 p.m. See Weibo @XingjiGege for details.]

To scare her little sister, who cries at the drop of a hat, Cecil raises a gooey little octopus.

Every day, she feeds it, bathes it, and imbues it with magic, taking it along whenever she goes out to play.

Cecil watches it grow healthy and strong, hoping that one day it will “dazzle everyone” at her sister's birthday party.

Under Cecil's careful care, the little octopus grows bigger and bigger...

Until it turns into a tentacle monster.

Cecil: ???

Did something go wrong somewhere along the way?

"A short excerpt"

Cecil hears the wet, sticky sound late at night.

She quietly makes her way into the rose garden and sees an unfamiliar-looking boy standing among the peaceful roses.

His skin is pale, his black hair curls, and his deep green eyes glimmer like emeralds with a dark light. A gentle evening breeze stirs, and a black shadow seems to writhe slowly at his feet.

Cecil: “Who are you?”

“I... am... who...?” The boy slowly forms the unfamiliar words, seems to think for a moment, then tilts his head.

“I... am... Lanny.”

Cecil: “...”

“Hello, Lanny.” She smiles, her peripheral vision catching a bloodstained pair of glasses among the branches.

They belong to Lanny.

Theme: Fight fate and stand on your own two feet