Aotu World: Zitang Huan's Contract Beast

[Original characters. The only romantic pairing is Huan and Lian. Everyone else is a confidant; there are no other romantic relationships, though there will be ambiguous interactions.]

Fate often begins with a single word: "Pitiful."

Zitang Lian, a distant branch of the Zitang family, was born with a breathtaking, heartbreakingly lovely face. But because he had the power to control monsters, the Zitang family treated him as an abomination.

He possessed a Battle Instrument that could summon monsters from another world. But it only pushed him step by step into the abyss.

That year, he met Zitang Huan, the frail, insecure second son of the main family, whom the entire clan called a useless waste. The two met in the dense forest behind the mountain: one was a monster in the eyes of outsiders, the other a good-for-nothing in the mouths of his family. They gave each other everything they had left. Zitang Lian willingly let Zitang Huan carve a beast-taming mark into him. That ring of pink light circled his neck. From then on, Lian was Huan's contracted beast, and also his lover.

But the Zitang family would not accept them. In the end, Zitang Lian, dragging his battered body, rode on Jiedun to chase the spaceship taking Zitang Zhen to the Aotu Tournament. He left Zitang Huan a letter and an X virtual terminal, promising, "I will definitely come back."

Then came a long period of wandering, from Knight Star to Leiwang Star, from Denggelu Star to Shengkong Star. Anmoxi, Zande, Kami'er, Leishi, Jin, Jialuosi... Along the way, people encountered him, protected him, and held him captive. Everyone saw his astonishing beauty and strength, but no one could remove the pink mark around his neck.

When Zitang Lian finally reached the tournament, his rebellion failed, and the tournament transformed him into Angel L, a subordinate of the Divine Envoys. His memories were cleansed and his past erased. He became a useful weapon.

Three years later, Zitang Huan came to the tournament to find him. Several of Lian's confidants came too, all eager to take the beast who already belonged to someone.