Only Human Here 27

"Hand."

Yun Yongzhou's cool and clear voice snapped Wei Huan back to the present. He mumbled in confusion as Yun Yongzhou tugged at his wrist.

With a click, a sub-golden frosted metal bracelet materialized on his right wrist, adorned with a black sun totem.

"What's this?" Wei Huan asked, puzzled, gazing up at him. "Oh, I get it. Are you afraid I'll bolt, so you've slapped on a contraption to rein me in? Like those gadgets that zap you if you stray too far, leaving you writhing in pain…"

Yun Yongzhou cut off his train of thought. "It's just a weapon."

"A weapon?"

Wei Huan thought it might be some kind of restraint. He examined the golden bracelet carefully, then lifted his arm and shook it. "How's this a weapon?"

Yun Yongzhou remained silent, his pupils shifting to gold. Before Wei Huan could react, the bracelet morphed into a sharp dagger, appearing in his hand.

"Whoa," Wei Huan stared at the weapon in awe, perplexed. After confirming its reality, he couldn't resist swinging it twice in excitement. "What's happening?"

"The Light Control Art's effect. This bracelet acts as a tangible medium for it." Yun Yongzhou paused, then continued, "After bonding, you'll gain some of my abilities. Currently, you can only produce light, not weaponize it. This bracelet can aid you. But, you still need practice given your level."

Wei Huan was astonished. Apart from Yun Yongzhou, no one else in the demon realm could wield the Light Creation Art. And now, he was sharing this precious ability with him. "Wait, so I'll be able to create weapons with light? Anything? What about size?"

"Start with what you can manage," Yun Yongzhou replied curtly. "Practice."

Wei Huan pouted, looking around, then back at Yun Yongzhou. "But why did you…"

"I don't want to bond with a corpse. Learn to defend yourself," Yun Yongzhou cut him off, avoiding a direct response. He strode out of the training room without a backward glance, unfurling his white feathered wings and vanishing into the night sky.

"Forget it, no use asking," Wei Huan muttered, staring at the light dagger in his hand. "How do I change it back? Change back."

He muttered while flicking his wrist. Suddenly, the light dagger autonomously shifted shape, returning to its bracelet form.

"This thing is pretty cool…"

Immersed in his new weapon, Wei Huan felt something land on his head. He reached out and found the small furball again.

Grasping it firmly, he squeezed it as if it were a rubber ball. "Why so clingy?"

"Ying…" The little furball emitted a pitiful sound, shrinking slightly before slipping through Wei Huan's fingers and hopping onto his shoulder. "Ying ying ying."

"Fine. Are you going to stick to my thigh now? You little opportunist." Wei Huan tried to remove it from his shoulder, but the creature refused to budge, surprisingly strong. "Hey, you clingy thing… let me tell you, I've changed. Clinging to me won't benefit you."

Despite his words, Wei Huan felt a sense of satisfaction deep down. At least the furball remembered him.

Returning late to the dormitory, Wei Huan found his roommate gone. After freshening up, he climbed into bed, switching off all lights.

In the darkness, memories of being alone with Yun Yongzhou in the training room earlier that evening flashed in his mind like an incessant movie. Every line, every frame, etched into his memory.

Since his rebirth, Wei Huan had never experienced insomnia. Every day was filled with fear and tension, with late nights resembling a devouring beast, sapping his energy—except for tonight.

He attempted to sleep, trying various methods. But the more he tried, the more awake he became until he finally sat up, tossing the blanket aside.

"Ying!" The furball startled, its fur bristling. It instinctively leaped into the air, landing lightly on Wei Huan's legs.

In the moonlight, Wei Huan scooped it up and placed it in his palm. "Can't sleep either, huh? Seems I'm not the only one."

Exhausted, the furball emitted a soft sound. Despite lacking a mouth, it seemed to pout, weakly responding, "Ying…"

Taking it seriously, Wei Huan pretended to understand. "You too, huh? Come, play with your former master."

The mention of "former master" seemed to affect the furball. It transformed from a blob into a small ball, though without a mouth, it appeared to pout. Emitting a pitiful and coquettish sound, "Ying ying ying~"

"Tell me, why did he bond with me?" Wei Huan crossed his legs, placing the furball in the middle. Nestling against his leg, the furball made a soft sound.

Wei Huan speculated, "Is he really into guys?"

"Ying~"

"You think so too!" Wei Huan shook his head, making a clicking sound. "Unbelievable. Yun Yongzhou is actually love-struck. How long have I known him? He's so devoted—bonded blood with me, resurrected me, taught me Light Control Art."

The more he thought, the more he felt Yun Yongzhou was overly enthusiastic. Wei Huan sighed, "I didn't realize he was like this. It was always me being persistent."

The furball emitted a long, sigh-like sound, "Ying~~~"

"You agree, huh? Sometimes, even you can't stick to him."

Yun Yongzhou had no judgment.

The image of the training room reappeared.

Yun Yongzhou's face, illuminated by the fragile light, seemed veiled in a soft golden glow. His eyes were bright and golden, dazzling yet hazy, like fluffy clouds. These contradictions coexisted in Yun Yongzhou, much like his name—a shining sun enveloped in mist.

Wei Huan didn't understand why he could vividly picture Yun Yongzhou's face. It was odd.

He closed his hand, feeling the oppressive darkness wrap around him. Simply closing his eyes, he welcomed it.

"[Use your blood to feel the darkness.]"

"[Ignite light with your blood.]"

His scalp tingled, a force surging within him. But this time, Wei Huan accepted it calmly. Clenching his fist, he felt the heat in his blood rise.

Wei Huan cautiously opened his hand, trying to conjure light as Yun Yongzhou had taught him. But there was no glow.

"Ying…"

"It's okay." Wei Huan lay back, staring at the dark ceiling. "I know it's not that simple."

Even though he could sense the demonic power in his blood, Wei Huan puzzled over why he couldn't produce light.

The furball hopped onto Wei Huan's shoulder, settling there quietly without a sound.

A myriad of thoughts loomed in the darkness, transforming the once silent night into an expansive realm. Yun Yongzhou's cool voice resonated within his hollow chest.

"[You desire light, don't you?]"

Light.

Closing his eyes, he delved deeper into the dark abyss. The restlessness ebbed away, the burning sensation in his blood dissipated, leaving behind warm embers. Bathed in moonlight, the scent of freedom wafted through the night air, dispelling the oppressive atmosphere. What lingered wasn't fear or the coercive manipulation of powerful demonic energy.

It was desire. His closed eyes couldn't grasp the cool breeze, but every cell in his body pulsated with longing.

Desire for light.

Suddenly, his heart quickened, each beat resounding forcefully in his chest. It felt like the commencement of a grand ceremony, the accelerating rhythm approaching a crucial moment.

Wei Huan opened his eyes.

The mundane black room was now adorned with scattered golden lights of various sizes, dancing in the air. Their fluid movement imbued them with life.

It was akin to a galaxy.

He reached out, gently swaying his fingers. The lights, resembling shooting stars, converged towards him in the darkness, gathering in front of him.

Though these fragmented lights paled in comparison to Yun Yongzhou's dazzling sunlight, they were lights he created—attainable stars.

Wei Huan had witnessed this gentle light in his previous life, during the Mountain and Sea Festival.

The evening at the festival was filled with garden activities, booths adorned with beautiful lanterns. Some featured game stalls, others offered food, and some showcased curious novelties.

"FuYao's booth is quite intriguing. Look, the game booths are in the sky."

"Isn't that blindfolded person Little Jiufeng?"

"Indeed! Let's see what they're up to!"

In mid-air, Wei Huan, blindfolded, held an air gun. Facing away from each other, he and Yang Shang had their arms restrained, wings close together.

Dozens of flags floated around them within a five-meter radius. Two meters long, these flags bore red, blue, white, and green colors. The red flags were plentiful, while blue was scarce, with only one. The flags of the four major colleges nearly enclosed them within a cylindrical space.

"Why this game?" Onlookers floated above, commenting with hands behind their backs.

"Hitting a flag earns prize vouchers."

"Have you seen FuYao's flag? Hitting it yields a grand prize."

Wei Huan had already hit several flags. Now, the flags rotated faster, even changing colors. Yang Shang, with restricted movements, guided Wei Huan as usual.

The referees, two petite butterfly demons, flitted around, guiding the challengers.

"Three minutes remaining."

"You have two shots left~" The butterflies held hands, illuminating Wei Huan and Yang Shang. "Can you hit FuYao's lone flag?"

Amid cheers from FuYao students, Yun Yongzhou, coerced into helping, struggled with a large box of decorations. Passing through, he was jostled by the crowd, nearly dropping the box.

Frowning, he intended to ascend higher to escape the crowd's chaos. Yet, a chance glance caught Wei Huan, blindfolded and playing games.

Despite being tormented by the Hook Snake earlier, Wei Huan still had energy for games.

With a thud, the air gun struck a ball, and Wei Huan tilted his head. "Did I hit it?"

Yang Shang shook his head, observing as the FuYao flag changed to Shangshan at the moment Wei Huan fired. It was astounding, nearly tricking his eyes. "Too clever, he dodged it." He described the location of the blue flag once more, and Wei Huan adjusted his aim to another Shangshan flag.

"Don't shoot," Yang Shang whispered.

As expected, the FuYao flag underwent a pre-planned change, unlike the other randomly moving flags, reacting to Wei Huan's actions.

"Wei Huan, let me tell you a ghost story," Yang Shang suddenly interjected, veering off-topic. "Guess, can you still snatch the battle-ready number you want this time?"

With his eyes covered, Wei Huan couldn't help but lift the corners of his mouth.

Yang Shang aimed at a red flag. "Ah Huan, I think we might not be able to hit our college's flag."

"Right." Wei Huan spontaneously launched into a comedic dialogue, "I also think so. FuYao College truly lives up to its reputation. Even the face flags are so intricate. Let's stop playing." As he spoke, he moved to remove the blindfold.

"Hey, hey, don't." Yang Shang nudged his back with his elbow. "Why stop? We still have two shots. Hitting two white flags is fine. We can exchange them for prizes. My sister was pestering me to bring her some yesterday."

Wei Huan clicked his tongue. "Dead sister fanatic."

"Who are you calling a dead sister fanatic!"

"Anyone who pesters me is a dead sister fanatic!"

The two inexplicably started arguing, leaving the audience bewildered. They chattered, causing confusion among the two butterfly demons who acted as referees. "Hey, you two…"

"Alright, you're impressive." Yang Shang flew forward. "Bro, I won't be your wingman anymore."

"If you don't want to, then don't. You're just afraid of losing and blaming me!"

Yang Shang turned around. "Who said I'm blaming anyone?"

"You won't admit it?" Wei Huan shook his head. "Fine, let's play rock-paper-scissors. The loser carries the blame."

"I'm restrained, and you're blindfolded. What kind of ghostly rock-paper-scissors are we playing?"

The two of them started chatting for no apparent reason, leaving the audience perplexed. They argued, causing confusion among the spectators. "Are you two still playing or not?"

Yun Yongzhou, holding a box, observed silently from above. He didn't realize it himself—clearly, it was a game between two people, but his gaze was fixated on one.

"Let's go~" Wei Huan raised his chin, pondering for a moment. "How about this? A counting game. Miss Butterfly, count down for us—three, two, one—and then we both count. Whoever says the smaller number carries the blame."

"Sure." Yang Shang looked up at the butterfly demon. "Let the referee count for us."

The two butterfly demons exchanged puzzled glances but reluctantly agreed to this inexplicable subgame. "Um, okay."

"Thanks, Miss Butterfly." Wei Huan's lips curled into a smile.

"Three, two, one!"

They both spoke simultaneously. Wei Huan said 9, while Yang Shang said 5.

Suddenly, Yun Yongzhou reacted.

The audience burst into laughter. "Yang Shang loses!" Little did they know, as soon as Wei Huan finished counting, he swiftly turned, firing a shot to knock down the blue flag of FuYao College.

"What a move?!"

"Seriously?"

Wei Huan removed the blindfold, raised an eyebrow, and grinned. "Mission accomplished! War Preparation Unit Number 9, enemy at five o'clock neutralized!