Ever since Beam’s family was killed, and he was sold into slavery, he’d been affected by a certain sensation in his chest. A dark gnawing. As if there was someone else inside his body, cackling at his struggles. Even as he wields his pickaxe deep within the slave mines, he feels the grip of another hand, trying to guide his own. Something dark, something ominous and powerful, wanted everything that he had left. He could feel its want. In the place of despair, he felt rage, and he resisted it. Years later, it still remains. He trains to try and silence it. Every day, for hours on end. In the pouring rain, and in the freezing snow. Naturally, after so many years, someone – or something, finds him in such a state. With the lightning flashing, he is discovered by a creature of vaguely human shape, but with a left arm so purple it looked like it should have been rotten to dust long ago. “If you’re going to do it, do it properly,” the monster sneers, slapping the stick out of Beam’s hand, and putting a sword in its place. “Swing it,” the creature commands. Only when he begins to train with the creature does Beam begin to notice changes. The voice is louder now – angrier. But there’s also something else along with it. A yearning to go with the gnawing. It’s a warm feeling, as if it was a woman’s hand on his shoulder. It stays with him, and only continues to grow in intensity. Two voices speak their mind, and they grow louder. With them, Beam’s desire to grow stronger grows– and finally, true progress begins to come his way, along with a strength that few can believe. Months pass, and once more, Beam’s world changes. The villagers that had once avoided him begin to show interest in the boy. There’s something mysterious about him, and something that seems to be almost incredible. That fact is sealed for them, when one day he turns up with the corpse of an impossibly strong Hobgoblin. He almost seems too big for the village. Tragedy occurs, and once more, Beam’s name is taken. The hands of the powerful look his way. They see strength, and they include it in their games. Under the guise of immense secrecy, his past is hidden away, and he is given a new name, that of Oliver Patrick, and he is given a new place amongst minor nobility. Join Beam - and later Oliver Patrick – as he fights against his fate, and claws his way up out of the mud that he was born into, and begins his war against the powerful men of the Stormfront.
Are you afraid of death? For Jie Fu Lian, who had already come to terms with his death, the thought of being alive was scarier. Although his death was quite tragic, he still lived a fulfilling life. He had done everything that he had wanted to do and he had achieved everything that he had strived for. Even as he died, he only had a single regret. He regretted the fact that he couldn't thank Hua Tianshu, an enemy who had stood up for him till the end. His death was quite painful but he wasn't unhappy with it. However, it should have ended right there. Why the hell was he now possessing the body of a tyrannical demon king?! The heavens above were certainly playing with him and laughing at his misfortune! As if possessing the body of his enemy wasn't enough, out of all the people that he could run into, why did he have to run into Hua Tianshu?! Just when Jie Fu Lian thought his luck couldn't get any worse, Hua Tianshu just had to go and recognize him as well! "Is this what an ill-fated relationship means?" Jie Fu Lian's lips twitched. It was as if even death couldn't break the red strings that had tied the two of them together. "Why are you so nice to me?" “You wouldn’t believe me even if I told you the reason,” Hua Tianshu sighed. “You are falsely accusing me. I trust everything you tell me.” “I like you.” “I like you too, brother,” Jie Fu Lian beamed, however, this response only disappointed Hua Tianshu whose words had been misunderstood once again. “We are clearly not on the same page,” Hua Tianshu sighed as he turned around and left. Jie Fu Lian frowned as he tilted his head cluelessly. The new demon king is a thick-headed idiot who can’t even take a hint! Cover art by: Cherlyswan