Originally, after Tianqi ended, I planned to find some time to revisit the story of The Fall of Utopia. I even managed to put together a detailed outline.
But after organizing the rough outline, I realized I was exhausted at the thought of writing. My mind was completely empty. Four years of serialization seemed to have drained all the brains out of me, along with whatever inspiration and ideas I might once have had. When I actually tried to write, I found myself like a paralyzed patient, unable to produce a single word. I'd somehow acquired writing PTSD and spent many days tossing and turning through nightmares.
It wasn't until four or five months later that I gathered my courage again, worked out the setting for the new book, then revised the character profiles, character relationships, and opening over and over, hoping I could nail down the beginning before I completely broke down from all the revisions—then, when I was writing the sixth version, my editor said, "Write an extra story. Your readers are calling for one." In an instant, you saved me from the bitter sea of revisions and breakdowns.
So, after juggling both for a while, I finally rekindled my passion, found a bit of the feeling again, and wrote a story that I was fairly satisfied with.
It isn't very long, around twenty thousand words, and will probably be released on December 10.
An extra story that begins before the beginning and ends after the ending—a story that never existed.
That isn't just rambling or pretending to be profound. It's sincerely what I love about it. Personally, I feel it turned out quite complete. To some extent, it fills in gaps in the worldbuilding and plot, and there will also be the stunning debut of a mysterious