Chapter 105: Second Doll
The sun had already risen, and the morning light fully dispelled the gloom that lingered in the attic. Outside the window came the gradually increasing sounds of people and vehicles on the street, and the chirping of some unknown bird squabbling atop a nearby roof.
But none of this disturbed Yu Sheng’s focus.
He was holding the head of a Doll, now nearly fully shaped. At the moment, it was still a lump of clay with a firm texture. Carefully, with a fine needle, he pressed out the contours of the eyes and the bridge of the nose. This step had taken him a long time—he had even had to redo it multiple times. Only just before the clay hardened completely and became unworkable did he reach a result that he deemed acceptable.
It still couldn’t be called perfect—certainly no match for the craftsmanship of a true professional—but Yu Sheng felt that at the very least, this tiny head wouldn’t earn him another round of Irene’s ridicule. At least… when the little doll climbed inside, it shouldn’t start crying?
A small, satisfied smile spread across his face. He glanced at the candles on the table and saw that they had already burned down by more than half.
It seemed the “makeup” step would definitely not be completed before the candles went out. Just getting the Doll’s body parts finished was already an achievement.
Still, Yu Sheng didn’t feel disappointed. After all, this was just practice outside of his experiments. Running through the entire process a few more times before crafting Irene’s next official body was beneficial. Whether or not the Doll had makeup—well, the Doll herself didn’t really care.
After all, Irene could mold her face to be as lovely as she pleased.
Yu Sheng exhaled softly and brought over the recently completed Doll torso, preparing to place it at the focal point of the Alchemy Array on the table. Since he was practicing the whole process, he wanted to follow the complete ritual—even if Irene wasn’t here, the sense of ceremony had to be maintained.
But as he placed the torso at the center of the table, he couldn’t help but frown.
Was it an illusion? He could’ve sworn the clay had a slightly eerie “elasticity”—and it felt faintly warm.
Yet when Yu Sheng examined it more closely and reached out to touch it again, that strange sensation vanished. It was once again just a simple clay construct, the surface already somewhat dry.
[Am I hallucinating from too little sleep?]
The thought rose in his mind, but he didn’t dismiss the oddity so easily. As he connected the Doll’s remaining parts to the torso using softened clay mixed with water and bonding agent, he continued to watch for any changes.
He soon completed the assembly. A rough Doll prototype now lay silently at the center of the concentric circles and lines that formed the Alchemy Array. The candles burned quietly around it. Apart from the absence of the Painting of Irene—the usual source of soul—this Doll-forming ritual was complete.
Yu Sheng fixed his gaze on the prototype. In a fleeting moment, he thought his eyes were playing tricks on him.
Then, he saw it—its chest began to rise and fall.
Faintly, but clearly. It was breathing.
As if a tiny lifeform was slumbering within the lump of clay. Not yet awakened, but undeniably there.
Yu Sheng’s eyes widened. After a stunned second or two, he sprang forward, reaching out to gently touch the Doll prototype’s breathing chest.
“Wake up… wake up… are you actually… alive?”
But the Doll didn’t respond as he’d hoped. Though the rising and falling of its chest had stabilized, the process of activation seemed to stop there. There were no further signs of awakening.
It was like a shell—still waiting for something to fill it.
Yu Sheng took a slow breath, then shook his head vigorously. He turned toward the stairs leading downstairs and shouted:
“Irene! Irene, are you awake?! Come up here and see what I—”
He abruptly stopped mid-shout. His peripheral vision had caught something on the table.
The instant he called out Irene’s name, the Doll prototype changed.
As though the ritual’s most critical step had been completed, the body tensed, then a layer of lifelike skin tone spread rapidly over its limbs. Hair burst forth, and the facial features sharpened into vivid clarity. Lively color followed, and then the familiar black gothic dress took form.
In mere seconds, an “Irene” lay before Yu Sheng, slowly opening her eyes.
Yu Sheng stared in stunned silence. Then, the newly-formed “Irene”—who moments ago had been nothing but clay—jerked upright in surprise.
The little doll twisted around to face Yu Sheng and snapped:
“What are you yelling for?! I was in the middle of sleeping and you…”
She suddenly halted again. Something wasn’t right. This “new body” jerked its neck in a stiff, unnatural motion, glancing about with eerie rigidity.
“Hey, wait a second… where the heck am I? I was just in the bedroom—wait, something’s wrong. This body… feels nothing. I feel… dizzy…”
The little doll spoke in a dazed and somewhat panicked tone, instinctively trying to stand on the table and walk toward Yu Sheng. But as soon as she rose, the world spun—she swayed twice before slowly tipping off the edge of the table. “Ahhh—I’m losing balance! My vision’s doubled! I’m seeing two of everything—pull me up, pull me—”
Before she could finish, Yu Sheng had already reacted. With sharp reflexes, he darted forward and caught the Doll Lady just before she hit the ground. But before he could even exhale in relief, a loud bang echoed from downstairs.
Two cries of surprise—both unmistakably Irene’s—rang out in Yu Sheng’s ears:
“Aiyaaaa—”
One voice, crisp and loud, came from the Doll in his arms. The other, distant and muffled, came from below.
“Yu Sheng! Yu Sheng, what’s going on?! Why do I have two visions? I’m in two places? No, no wait, why… why do I have two bodies?!”
The situation had spiraled far beyond anything Yu Sheng had anticipated. But even amid the bewilderment, realization struck him like lightning. Pushing aside his disbelief, he clutched the “new Irene” in his arms and dashed for the stairs, thundering down to the second floor and racing straight to his bedroom.
The little doll clung tightly to his arm, as if terrified of falling again.
As soon as he flung the Door open, Yu Sheng saw Irene on the floor, gripping the bedside table to keep herself upright. She looked up at the same time he arrived.
The Doll in his arms and the one standing on the floor locked eyes.
“…Wah!”
Two mouths, one voice.
“I have two bodies!”
Still in perfect unison.
At this point, Yu Sheng’s head was pounding. He glanced between the two identical Dolls, suspicion and awe written all over his face. After a long moment, he finally stammered: “Irene? Are… are both of you really you?”
“Yes.” Both heads nodded in tandem.
“No, I mean… is there just one of you in there?” he clarified hurriedly, “Like, one mind across two bodies? Or are there… two Irenes now?”
“One,” they said again in chorus—then, suddenly, the one in Yu Sheng’s arms fell silent. The Doll on the floor raised her hand and pointed to herself, clarifying, “Just me. I’ve just… suddenly got another body, that’s all.”
She released the bedside table and, wobbling slightly, managed to stay upright for a few seconds. Holding her head, she groaned, “Aiya, finally steady… I nearly puked, you know? At first, I thought I woke up in the attic. But then I opened my eyes here on the bed too. Two views, two sets of senses, all slammed into me at once. The moment I sat up, I fell off both the table and the bed. Good thing you caught one of me…”
Once she steadied herself, Irene began to rattle off her experience. Mid-sentence, she suddenly looked up at Yu Sheng, blinking in realization. “Wait, Yu Sheng. Why the heck are there two bodies now? And… why am I in both of them?”
Yu Sheng’s face instantly stiffened, a wave of embarrassment surging from his scalp to his soles. He hadn’t had time to plan how to explain this surreal development. Finally, he blurted, “…What if I told you our attic got damp and grew a Doll?”
Irene stared blankly at him. “…Really?”
Yu Sheng: “…???”
She actually believed that?!
Seeing the little doll’s innocent expression, Yu Sheng couldn’t bear to lie. Sighing, he stepped over to the bed, placed “Irene No. 2” gently on the mattress, and composed himself.
“Okay, here’s the truth. I couldn’t sleep tonight, and suddenly got hit by a wave of scientific inspiration. I went upstairs and… conducted a small experiment…”
He recounted to the “victim” before him—step by step—how he had sculpted a “spare body” for Irene. He even described his mindset throughout the whole process.
The little doll’s expression shifted—from confused, to shocked, back to confused, and finally, utterly exasperated.
“Yu Sheng you bastard!!”