Danshou no Grimm
Fragments of Grimm
(2006-2012)
17 Volumes
God exists and He is asleep, somewhere on the far shore of the human consciousness.
Once, God had a nightmare - he learned of all the fears in the world. Thus, he became omniscient.
But the human mind cannot bear all of these terrors, so fragments of the Nightmare leave the human heart and leak out into reality.
This is how the world gets eaten away by God's Nightmares. But there are those who gather to fight it and to save other people from this danger.
They are called Fragment Knights. And this is a story of one such battle - a battle known as Fairytale.
Danshou no Grimm is a fantasy light novel by Gakuto Coda, author of Missing.
It is not licensed and hasn't been translated into any language.
I have translated some bits of the novel for personal entertainment, but my skills in Japanese are far too limited for me to actually helm a translation project.
This is why I make this suggestion with the hope that someone here likes the novel and starts a proper translation of it.
Below is the Prologue of the first volume and some of the covers.
Spoiler! :
Fragments of Grimm
Clack.
Clack...
Now, shall we talk about Cinderella today?
Once upon a time, there was a noble man who, after losing his first wife, married a woman with a rotten heart. She had two daughters, who were equally vain and selfish. From his first wife, the noble man had had a beautiful young daughter, a girl of unparalleled goodness and sweet temper. The stepmother and her daughters forced the first daughter into servitude, where she was made to work day and night in menial chores. After the girl's chores were done for the day, she would often be covered in ashes. So that gave rise to the name Cinderella.
One day, the Prince invited all young ladies in the land to a ball, planning to choose a wife from amongst them. The two stepsisters gleefully prepared themselves for the ball, and when they were ready, Cinderella said to her step-mother,
“I beg of you! Take me to the ball with you!”
However the step-mother laughed in derision.
“What kind of a dress would such an unsightly girl like yourself wear to the ball, I wonder.” said the step-mother to Cinderella and joined her daughters.
The three of them went out.
As Cinderella was shedding bitter tears, the Fairy Godmother suddenly appeared and said, “You poor thing… I shall grant your wish.”
She waved her magic wand and turned a pumpkin into a splendid carriage, mice into white horses, and a rat into a coachman. She then turned Cinderella's rags into a gown so beautiful – Cinderella had never seen one such as this, complete with a delicate pair of glass slippers. Then, the Fairy Godmother finally said,
“Now, you can, too, go to the ball. But remember, my dear. You must come back before the bells clang at midnight, for it is then that magic fades away. Should you not follow my advice, the carriage with the horses, the gown, everything will return to its original form.”
When Cinderella stepped into the castle everyone was enchanted and fascinated by her beauty. The noble prince came and took Cinderella’s hand, inviting her to a dance. The two of them were joined in a magical, everlasting dance, and time passed by with neither of them taking notice. But as they enjoyed every second of their time together, Cinderella forgot and the bells suddenly sounded, as the hand of the clock stroke midnight.
Cinderella left the ballroom in haste, running down the stairs outside the castle.
The prince chased after her, but alas, it was too late. In her hurry, one of Cinderella’s glass slippers fell on the steps of the palace. The prince took it in his hands with great care.
As the last bell clanged Cinderella turned back into her original look. She kept the other slipper, which did not disappear when the spell was broken.
When the ball was over, the prince could only think about Cinderella, so he said, “I will marry the girl whose foot fits this shoe.” He ordered the servants to search every corner of the land to find a girl, whose foot fit the glass slipper, but to no avail.
Soon, the shoe was brought to Cinderella’s home too. The two step-sisters tried the shoe but it was too small. Then Cinderella came and asked, “Could I try it too?”
“Don’t be ridiculous!”
The step-mother was going to send her away, but the servants were ordered to try the shoe on every single girl, so they let Cinderella give it a try.
The glass slipper fit perfectly. Cinderella’s step-mother and step-sisters were surprised but when she took the other glass slipper out of her pocket, they were left utterly stunned.
At that time, everyone understood Cinderella was going to become a beautiful princess. The two-step sisters fell to her feet and apologized for their cruelty for a long time. Cinderella was taken to the castle and there, she married the prince.
And because she had not only a beautiful, but a benevolent heart, her step-mother and step-sisters were welcomed into the castle too, where they all lived happily ever after…
Prologue
A Myth of Dreams and Fragments
We humans and the world we live in are constantly threatened by God’s Nightmares.
God is real. This absolute existence that is closest to being called a god has been there since the beginning of time, silently sleeping somewhere on the far shore of the human consciousness. And because it’s sleeping, it has always been so indifferent and ruthless to us, human beings.
But once, God had a nightmare.
In this nightmare, God learned of all the fears in the world. Thus, he became aware and omniscient. And because God was omniscient in his lonely sleep, this nightmare was too overwhelming for the human consciousness to perceive, not to mention interfere with.
And so, God’s nightmare abandoned the bottom of the sea in the form of small bubbles of foam and, eventually, rose to the ground - to our consciousness. There sank the Bubble of God’s Nightmare and became universally known as ‘omniscience’, deeply nested in our mind, attached to the unique fear that each individual holds. But when the Bubble of God’s Nightmare is too big to fit the vessel that is our consciousness, it begins to overflow and leaks into reality.
Thus, our nightmares and God’s Nightmares entwine and become reality.
†
“Bye, Mom!”
“You didn’t forget anything, did you, Aoi?”
“No… I don’t think so” he answered dubiously, his small face turned downwards, while tying his shoes for school in front of the door.
After he was done tying the shoelaces and having said goodbye to his mother, Aoi Shirano stood up, grabbed his school bag and left his home in a hurry.
He wasn’t late for anything, though. It was simply out of precaution, since he wanted to be in school on time. And so, Aoi Shirano left his house, took a right turn around the corner and went to the bus stop, where a girl in a sailor uniform was pretending to drink coffee next to a vending machine.
“Sorry I’m late, Yukino.”
“...”
The girl called Yukino acknowledged him with a sullen glance, as the well built boy greeted her. She then threw the coffee can that had been empty for quite some time now in the trash bin next to the vending machine.
Her name was Yukino Tokitsuki.
Her old-school uniform with a crimson ribbon was different from the Public High School blazer that Aoi was wearing. Her white skin and her eyes gave off a sort of a harsh beauty, like the beauty one would find in an abyss. The ponytail matched her sailor uniform really well, but the black lace that tied her raven-black hair gave the girl an entirely new impression.
In other words, she was a perfect example of gothic fashion.
“…”
Still hesitant about her answer, Yukino pushed herself back from the vending machine she was leaning on, and lifted up her sports bag a bit, which was hanging over her shoulder.
“L-Let’s go, Yukino.”
“Huh?”
That was the only answer Yukino could utter, as she followed the boy, and eventually passed him. Aoi smiled faintly, thinking about the troubled look on the girl with the sailor uniform, whose back he was now following.
It was Friday today. Yukino had waited for Aoi here every morning the past three days. At first, she had waited outside his house, but she was once invited in by Aoi’s parents, who had completely misunderstood her intentions and had unfortunately created a very awkward situation. Since then, the place they met had changed, naturally.
Now, the girl’s black ribbon was swaying morosely in front of Aoi.
The two went to different schools, but Aoi’s school was close by.
“I’m so sorry” said Aoi, while looking at Yukino’s back. He was thankful that she had come here, so that the two could walk together.
“Don’t be. I don’t care, it’s simply a task I must carry out” answered Yukino without looking at him.
At first, Aoi wasn’t sure whether it was discontent or straight out hatred that was directed at him, but he came to know that Yukino had the same attitude to anyone at any time – it wasn’t specially reserved for him, nor was it a whim. So he hardly took it as problematic, and it didn’t bother him. He knew that the strong vibe he was getting from this girl was not hatred. It was something else.
“It must be… a troublesome task…”
“Not really.”
“We’re going to run, if something happens in school, right?”
“Yes.”
“Are we going to be okay? In school, I mean. You’ve been skipping classes so much.”
“It doesn’t matter. The old man told me what to do.”
“You mean your guardian? Still, though… I think we should do it at school.
“There’s no going back to normal life now. I’m going to become a monster. I have to become a monster... After all, they can't really fight, can they?.”
Yukino’s voice was low. If one were close enough to her, the sound of her teeth grinding would have been awfully clear.
Walking through the city, she seemed to have turned her back not only to the boy, but to the morning sun shining across the unchanging cityline, too.
She was holding the laces of the sports bag on her left shoulder and the bandage on her hand peeked underneath the cuff of her sleeve. If one could see under that bandage, a wound would be found on her wrist.
Aoi could see in her eyes that she didn’t feel the slightest need to hide the scar that looked like a scale. But he didn’t have to look in her eyes, to know; He was already used to this.
Their relationship was not without certain hostility. But he had put this behavior aside since he couldn’t leave her just because of it.
And the fault for that was probably in his memory of the girl who was once his best friend. Not anymore, though. He and the girl who had inflicted this on herself had always played together as children. This was probably… the memory of Aoi’s first love.
“Well, I think that a monster, too, can live an ordinary life” said Aoi, watching Yukino’s back in front of him. “Even if it’s just a pretense, I still think it’s easier. And besides, things like fake masks and pretending are useful in school.”
Yukino didn’t respond.
“I heard your grades are getting worse because you’ve been skipping school. Hey… We could study together, if you don’t mind. If you don’t understand something, I might be able to help.”
The private school Aoi attended was now preparing the students for high school. And Aoi loved the ordinary more than anything else.
“So, what do you think?”
“… Why should I study with you?”
Yukino came to a sudden stop and pierced Aoi with a cold gaze.
He wasn’t sure if it was just his imagination, or she was actually mad, but her cheeks seemed to have turned bright red.
“No… I mean, I could save you and your teacher the effort, so you don’t have to ask him.”
“It’s none of your business” said Yukino in a flat tone.
“But you’re going to draw attention if you stand out like that.”
“Shut up already, would you?”
Yukino considered slapping him, but only stayed silent instead.
“If you’re okay and you’re happy, then I’ll be happy too.”
“Shut up. I’ll kill you.”
Her voice was ice cold.
Aoi fell silent. Yukino turned back and continued walking quietly.
He then caught up and started walking beside her silently.
The girl peeked at him and if he had noticed, he would have seen the sadness in her eyes. There was no trace of hostility, though.
Three days passed in such manner.
They weren’t dating or anything.
They couldn’t call each other a close friend, nor a childhood friend.
After all, Aoi had met Yukino on Monday, a mere four days ago.
Now the girl had to use her powers to protect the fragile Aoi, who had been predicted to encounter an enormous Bubble of God’s Nightmare three days ago.
†
The abnormal phenomenon of God’s Nightmares turning into foam, called Bubble Peril.
Aoi had encountered it four nights ago, and then Yukino had saved him.
Sometimes, when someone escapes from a Bubble Peril, some debris of the traumatic Nightmare Foam is left behind in the bottom of one’s heart. That debris, known as Fragments, can be untied from the bounds of one’s mind by the memory of the Nightmare, which is then projected unto the real world.
Yukino is a Keeper of Nightmare Fragments.
She had once been the victim of one too, and she had survived it.
There are many who have returned alive from the Nightmare Foam.
And these people, who have harbored the Fragments of Nightmares, gather frequently in order to save other victims.
Having originated in the United Kingdom, the association called Lodge has branched off into small centers in Japan. And its people work in secret not only to save people from the Nightmares that emerge in this world, but also to keep the existence of God’s Nightmares and their Fragments a secret from the rest of the world.
They call themselves the Fragment Knights.
Yukino was one of them.
And this is how I came to know of Fairytales – the battles between us humans and the things that were ravaging the world, God’s Nightmares.
Clack.
Clack...
Now, shall we talk about Cinderella today?
Once upon a time, there was a noble man who, after losing his first wife, married a woman with a rotten heart. She had two daughters, who were equally vain and selfish. From his first wife, the noble man had had a beautiful young daughter, a girl of unparalleled goodness and sweet temper. The stepmother and her daughters forced the first daughter into servitude, where she was made to work day and night in menial chores. After the girl's chores were done for the day, she would often be covered in ashes. So that gave rise to the name Cinderella.
One day, the Prince invited all young ladies in the land to a ball, planning to choose a wife from amongst them. The two stepsisters gleefully prepared themselves for the ball, and when they were ready, Cinderella said to her step-mother,
“I beg of you! Take me to the ball with you!”
However the step-mother laughed in derision.
“What kind of a dress would such an unsightly girl like yourself wear to the ball, I wonder.” said the step-mother to Cinderella and joined her daughters.
The three of them went out.
As Cinderella was shedding bitter tears, the Fairy Godmother suddenly appeared and said, “You poor thing… I shall grant your wish.”
She waved her magic wand and turned a pumpkin into a splendid carriage, mice into white horses, and a rat into a coachman. She then turned Cinderella's rags into a gown so beautiful – Cinderella had never seen one such as this, complete with a delicate pair of glass slippers. Then, the Fairy Godmother finally said,
“Now, you can, too, go to the ball. But remember, my dear. You must come back before the bells clang at midnight, for it is then that magic fades away. Should you not follow my advice, the carriage with the horses, the gown, everything will return to its original form.”
When Cinderella stepped into the castle everyone was enchanted and fascinated by her beauty. The noble prince came and took Cinderella’s hand, inviting her to a dance. The two of them were joined in a magical, everlasting dance, and time passed by with neither of them taking notice. But as they enjoyed every second of their time together, Cinderella forgot and the bells suddenly sounded, as the hand of the clock stroke midnight.
Cinderella left the ballroom in haste, running down the stairs outside the castle.
The prince chased after her, but alas, it was too late. In her hurry, one of Cinderella’s glass slippers fell on the steps of the palace. The prince took it in his hands with great care.
As the last bell clanged Cinderella turned back into her original look. She kept the other slipper, which did not disappear when the spell was broken.
When the ball was over, the prince could only think about Cinderella, so he said, “I will marry the girl whose foot fits this shoe.” He ordered the servants to search every corner of the land to find a girl, whose foot fit the glass slipper, but to no avail.
Soon, the shoe was brought to Cinderella’s home too. The two step-sisters tried the shoe but it was too small. Then Cinderella came and asked, “Could I try it too?”
“Don’t be ridiculous!”
The step-mother was going to send her away, but the servants were ordered to try the shoe on every single girl, so they let Cinderella give it a try.
The glass slipper fit perfectly. Cinderella’s step-mother and step-sisters were surprised but when she took the other glass slipper out of her pocket, they were left utterly stunned.
At that time, everyone understood Cinderella was going to become a beautiful princess. The two-step sisters fell to her feet and apologized for their cruelty for a long time. Cinderella was taken to the castle and there, she married the prince.
And because she had not only a beautiful, but a benevolent heart, her step-mother and step-sisters were welcomed into the castle too, where they all lived happily ever after…
Prologue
A Myth of Dreams and Fragments
We humans and the world we live in are constantly threatened by God’s Nightmares.
God is real. This absolute existence that is closest to being called a god has been there since the beginning of time, silently sleeping somewhere on the far shore of the human consciousness. And because it’s sleeping, it has always been so indifferent and ruthless to us, human beings.
But once, God had a nightmare.
In this nightmare, God learned of all the fears in the world. Thus, he became aware and omniscient. And because God was omniscient in his lonely sleep, this nightmare was too overwhelming for the human consciousness to perceive, not to mention interfere with.
And so, God’s nightmare abandoned the bottom of the sea in the form of small bubbles of foam and, eventually, rose to the ground - to our consciousness. There sank the Bubble of God’s Nightmare and became universally known as ‘omniscience’, deeply nested in our mind, attached to the unique fear that each individual holds. But when the Bubble of God’s Nightmare is too big to fit the vessel that is our consciousness, it begins to overflow and leaks into reality.
Thus, our nightmares and God’s Nightmares entwine and become reality.
†
“Bye, Mom!”
“You didn’t forget anything, did you, Aoi?”
“No… I don’t think so” he answered dubiously, his small face turned downwards, while tying his shoes for school in front of the door.
After he was done tying the shoelaces and having said goodbye to his mother, Aoi Shirano stood up, grabbed his school bag and left his home in a hurry.
He wasn’t late for anything, though. It was simply out of precaution, since he wanted to be in school on time. And so, Aoi Shirano left his house, took a right turn around the corner and went to the bus stop, where a girl in a sailor uniform was pretending to drink coffee next to a vending machine.
“Sorry I’m late, Yukino.”
“...”
The girl called Yukino acknowledged him with a sullen glance, as the well built boy greeted her. She then threw the coffee can that had been empty for quite some time now in the trash bin next to the vending machine.
Her name was Yukino Tokitsuki.
Her old-school uniform with a crimson ribbon was different from the Public High School blazer that Aoi was wearing. Her white skin and her eyes gave off a sort of a harsh beauty, like the beauty one would find in an abyss. The ponytail matched her sailor uniform really well, but the black lace that tied her raven-black hair gave the girl an entirely new impression.
In other words, she was a perfect example of gothic fashion.
“…”
Still hesitant about her answer, Yukino pushed herself back from the vending machine she was leaning on, and lifted up her sports bag a bit, which was hanging over her shoulder.
“L-Let’s go, Yukino.”
“Huh?”
That was the only answer Yukino could utter, as she followed the boy, and eventually passed him. Aoi smiled faintly, thinking about the troubled look on the girl with the sailor uniform, whose back he was now following.
It was Friday today. Yukino had waited for Aoi here every morning the past three days. At first, she had waited outside his house, but she was once invited in by Aoi’s parents, who had completely misunderstood her intentions and had unfortunately created a very awkward situation. Since then, the place they met had changed, naturally.
Now, the girl’s black ribbon was swaying morosely in front of Aoi.
The two went to different schools, but Aoi’s school was close by.
“I’m so sorry” said Aoi, while looking at Yukino’s back. He was thankful that she had come here, so that the two could walk together.
“Don’t be. I don’t care, it’s simply a task I must carry out” answered Yukino without looking at him.
At first, Aoi wasn’t sure whether it was discontent or straight out hatred that was directed at him, but he came to know that Yukino had the same attitude to anyone at any time – it wasn’t specially reserved for him, nor was it a whim. So he hardly took it as problematic, and it didn’t bother him. He knew that the strong vibe he was getting from this girl was not hatred. It was something else.
“It must be… a troublesome task…”
“Not really.”
“We’re going to run, if something happens in school, right?”
“Yes.”
“Are we going to be okay? In school, I mean. You’ve been skipping classes so much.”
“It doesn’t matter. The old man told me what to do.”
“You mean your guardian? Still, though… I think we should do it at school.
“There’s no going back to normal life now. I’m going to become a monster. I have to become a monster... After all, they can't really fight, can they?.”
Yukino’s voice was low. If one were close enough to her, the sound of her teeth grinding would have been awfully clear.
Walking through the city, she seemed to have turned her back not only to the boy, but to the morning sun shining across the unchanging cityline, too.
She was holding the laces of the sports bag on her left shoulder and the bandage on her hand peeked underneath the cuff of her sleeve. If one could see under that bandage, a wound would be found on her wrist.
Aoi could see in her eyes that she didn’t feel the slightest need to hide the scar that looked like a scale. But he didn’t have to look in her eyes, to know; He was already used to this.
Their relationship was not without certain hostility. But he had put this behavior aside since he couldn’t leave her just because of it.
And the fault for that was probably in his memory of the girl who was once his best friend. Not anymore, though. He and the girl who had inflicted this on herself had always played together as children. This was probably… the memory of Aoi’s first love.
“Well, I think that a monster, too, can live an ordinary life” said Aoi, watching Yukino’s back in front of him. “Even if it’s just a pretense, I still think it’s easier. And besides, things like fake masks and pretending are useful in school.”
Yukino didn’t respond.
“I heard your grades are getting worse because you’ve been skipping school. Hey… We could study together, if you don’t mind. If you don’t understand something, I might be able to help.”
The private school Aoi attended was now preparing the students for high school. And Aoi loved the ordinary more than anything else.
“So, what do you think?”
“… Why should I study with you?”
Yukino came to a sudden stop and pierced Aoi with a cold gaze.
He wasn’t sure if it was just his imagination, or she was actually mad, but her cheeks seemed to have turned bright red.
“No… I mean, I could save you and your teacher the effort, so you don’t have to ask him.”
“It’s none of your business” said Yukino in a flat tone.
“But you’re going to draw attention if you stand out like that.”
“Shut up already, would you?”
Yukino considered slapping him, but only stayed silent instead.
“If you’re okay and you’re happy, then I’ll be happy too.”
“Shut up. I’ll kill you.”
Her voice was ice cold.
Aoi fell silent. Yukino turned back and continued walking quietly.
He then caught up and started walking beside her silently.
The girl peeked at him and if he had noticed, he would have seen the sadness in her eyes. There was no trace of hostility, though.
Three days passed in such manner.
They weren’t dating or anything.
They couldn’t call each other a close friend, nor a childhood friend.
After all, Aoi had met Yukino on Monday, a mere four days ago.
Now the girl had to use her powers to protect the fragile Aoi, who had been predicted to encounter an enormous Bubble of God’s Nightmare three days ago.
†
The abnormal phenomenon of God’s Nightmares turning into foam, called Bubble Peril.
Aoi had encountered it four nights ago, and then Yukino had saved him.
Sometimes, when someone escapes from a Bubble Peril, some debris of the traumatic Nightmare Foam is left behind in the bottom of one’s heart. That debris, known as Fragments, can be untied from the bounds of one’s mind by the memory of the Nightmare, which is then projected unto the real world.
Yukino is a Keeper of Nightmare Fragments.
She had once been the victim of one too, and she had survived it.
There are many who have returned alive from the Nightmare Foam.
And these people, who have harbored the Fragments of Nightmares, gather frequently in order to save other victims.
Having originated in the United Kingdom, the association called Lodge has branched off into small centers in Japan. And its people work in secret not only to save people from the Nightmares that emerge in this world, but also to keep the existence of God’s Nightmares and their Fragments a secret from the rest of the world.
They call themselves the Fragment Knights.
Yukino was one of them.
And this is how I came to know of Fairytales – the battles between us humans and the things that were ravaging the world, God’s Nightmares.
Spoiler! :
Spoiler! :
