The Lancelot Empire's Babylon Academy of Magic and Force occupied an extremely vast area and was renowned throughout the Empire. It was the most crucial cradle for nurturing the Empire's mages and knights.
The academy's magic departments were divided into light, dark, fire, water, wind, earth, thunder, summoning, and space majors. Each major had its own dedicated building, library, laboratory, training field, and dormitory area. The entire academy resembled a small city.
The necromancy major, where Bryan served as an errand slave, fell under the dark department. Due to necromancy's involvement with dark creatures like skeletons and zombies, coupled with the fact that necromancy magic had been in decline for many years, it was not only the least favored among the other majors but also the weakest. Even fellow students from the dark department looked down on necromancy students and avoided associating with them.
During his six years as an errand slave at the Babylon Academy of Magic and Force, Bryan had been stuck in the weakest and most despised major. Combined with his special duties (disposing of corpses and skeletons), he had endured endless scorn and humiliation. Not a single day passed without him living in torment.
Han Shuo followed Bryan's memories and returned via the small path from the mountain behind the academy. It was a dark, moonless night, and he slipped back through the side gate reserved for errand slaves.
Since it was late at night, the students had already retired to bed early. The path Han Shuo took was quite remote, so he encountered no one along the way. As he observed his surroundings, Han Shuo noted that the layout of the Babylon Academy of Magic and Force resembled the architectural style of some ancient western kingdoms on Earth.
After a while, Han Shuo finally arrived back at the necromancy major. Bryan had lived in a warehouse—this was entirely fitting for his status as an errand slave.
The warehouse was cluttered with a chaotic assortment of items. Most were discarded junk or remnants from failed experiments.
Many of these items were awaiting disposal, left for Bryan to haul away. Necromancy students would toss their unwanted refuse here through the windows, expecting Bryan to handle it.
The small warehouse wasn't large to begin with. Aside from the rubbish, there was only a tiny wooden bed. Even this bed was piled with trash every day because the students paid no mind when throwing things.
Bryan had worked until late every night. The first thing he did upon returning was clear the rubbish from his small bed. Early the next morning, before anyone awoke, he would dispose of the waste that needed handling.
When Han Shuo reached the hut and saw the junk-filled warehouse, a pang of sorrow welled up in his chest. He deeply pitied the poor youth—how had he endured these six years!
The air inside the hut was foul and stagnant. Even opening the windows did little good, as the stench emanated from the abandoned items themselves. There was still plenty of rubbish on the small bed; it seemed that even after Bryan's death, others continued to toss garbage here out of habit.
Dragging his weary feet, Han Shuo found it arduous to navigate (rubbish littered the floor too). He finally reached the small bed and planned to clean it up like Bryan had, then get a good night's sleep.
However, Han Shuo wasn't Bryan after all. Midway through cleaning, a ripple of anger stirred in his heart. This anger started sporadically but surged rapidly as the trace of demonic yuan in his body circulated when he grew furious, fanning the spark into a blaze.
Finally, Han Shuo abruptly halted his task and snarled fiercely, "I'm not Bryan; I won't endure this suffering! Bryan, oh Bryan, since I've taken your body, let me help you exact revenge on that little devil Lian!"
Han Shuo didn't realize that, according to his original personality, while he might have harbored the intent, he would never have acted so impulsively. In the past, he only entertained evil thoughts but lacked the courage to make them reality—dark fantasies of possessing and dominating alluring young men like those he admired from afar.
Exiting the warehouse, Han Shuo headed toward the dormitory where the male students lived. In the dead of night, he sneaked to the dormitory area. Bryan had often cleaned here and was intimately familiar with the layout. He knew exactly where Lian resided.
There were far fewer students in the necromancy major compared to others, so each male student had their own private room. The interiors were spacious and fully equipped—nothing like the garbage warehouse Bryan inhabited; this was paradise in comparison.
Lian lived on the second floor, and Han Shuo couldn't enter at night. Fortunately, a large tree stood behind Lian's room. Han Shuo hunched his thin frame and climbed the tree like a nimble shadow. Balancing on tiptoe, he approached Lian's window.
The window wasn't shut. Han Shuo inwardly rejoiced. He strained on his toes, shifting his skinny body closer to the window. Peering inside, he saw that the little devil Lian's room was decorated in soft blues and looked surprisingly inviting. Cute, plush toys hung on the table and walls.
A faint, alluring scent wafted into Han Shuo's nose and mouth. He wrinkled his nose, surprised that the ruthless and vicious Lian would arrange his room so charmingly. Despite his cruelty, there was something almost tempting about it— a pretty boy with a sharp edge, the kind that stirred Han Shuo's darker desires.
Han Shuo knew he couldn't overpower him. He edged closer to the window for another look. In the corner, a hazy blue curtain veiled what must be Lian's bed.
Pulling a small bottle from his pouch, he smeared some experimental blood on his eyes, nostrils, and the corners of his lips. He glanced at a cracked, discarded mirror (one Bryan had scavenged) and tousled his brown hair a bit. Checking the mirror again, he saw a horrifying, ghostly face streaked with blood.
"Heh heh, even if I can't beat you, I'll scare you senseless—or perhaps awaken something more intriguing in that pretty head of yours!"
Han Shuo was quite pleased with his ghastly appearance. He nodded and chuckled lowly in the dark. With everything set, he stepped onto the tree trunk and leaned toward Lian's window. His body swayed with the branches as he extended his skinny right hand and rapped on the glass.
"Knock knock… knock knock…"
Lian seemed deep in slumber. The "knock knock" roused him from his dreams. He groggily parted the blue curtain and emerged barefoot from within.
The carpet was also blue. His pale, jade-like feet stepped onto it. Under the serene moonlight, his five toes appeared delicate and almost enticing.
Lian was a bit younger than Bryan and hailed from a noble family. Setting aside how he treated Bryan, Lian was undeniably a striking young beauty of a boy—a pretty, feminine type with soft golden hair, standing about 1.62 meters, slightly taller than Bryan. He had slender brows, a straight nose, and inviting red lips that Han Shuo couldn't help but imagine claiming.
Lian, clad in blue pajamas, didn't seem fully awake. After leaving the blue bed, he instinctively glanced toward the sound's source.
A blood-smeared, familiar face stared back. Blood stained his eyes, nostrils, and mouth corners. The elongated, pallid face looked sinister and terrifying. His thin, small body swayed left and right at the window, as if weightless. His eyes were vacant and lifeless, fixed on him.
"Wah…"
A startled cry echoed through the entire male students' dormitory area.
Han Shuo laughed darkly inwardly. *I'll scare you this time, or at least make you faint—then perhaps I'll have you in my grasp, pretty one.* As he thought this, Han Shuo's expression grew more terrifying. His vacant eyes rolled back, whites showing as they darted erratically. His body rocked even more violently on the branches.
With his eyes rolled back, Han Shuo couldn't see Lian anymore. After the frightened cry, as Han Shuo's grimace intensified, he suddenly heard no more from Lian.
*He must have fainted from fear,* Han Shuo thought. Hearing the curses from necromancy major male students approaching from all sides, he decided it was time to retreat. Otherwise, getting caught would spell trouble.
Just as he prepared to normalize his eyes and flee, a sharp pain struck the bridge of his nose, followed by another blow to his head. His body tumbled involuntarily from the tree, aching all over, head spinning.
Attacks rained down on Han Shuo's body like pattering drops. A voice scolded while striking, "Bryan, I didn't expect you to survive! You didn't die last time, but is there something wrong with your brain? I study necromancy magic and deal with skeletons and zombies daily. You idiot, pretending to be a corpse to scare me? I really admire your foolish antics. Could it be that the future grand magus of the necromancy major, Lian, can't even distinguish if a soul inhabits a body?"
His body throbbed in pain, but his heart ached more. This fool Bryan had slaved in the necromancy major for six years—how could he not know such basic knowledge? It had led Han Shuo to muster the courage for his first act of mischief, only to end like this.
Necromancy magic? This wondrous art could discern such things. It had some merit. It seemed there was much to learn in this strange world, lest today's fiasco repeat.
As the pain in his body escalated, Han Shuo's mind wandered amid cries of agony. He inwardly pondered that Chu Cang Lan's demonic arts bore the word "demonic," and necromancy didn't sound benevolent either. If he cultivated both, would they clash? Or grow stronger together? Perhaps it could aid in forging bonds of possession and devotion with rivals like this alluring, vicious pretty boy.