1 Kai

"Good morning...ding ding ding...good morning" My annoying ass alarm clock rang.

I groaned and hit the snooze button. Ah, finally peace and quiet. "Good morn-" I snapped my eyes open furiously and was about to hit the snooze button again when I saw the time. "Fuck!" I yelled eyes wide open as I looked at the time. It was 7:40 am and me being my lovely self, was late to school. My class was about to start in about 20 minutes.

I tumbled out of bed and rushed to get ready. I glanced at my mirror and winced when I saw my appearance. My pale skin seemed more pale than usual. My huge eye bags made my gray eyes look dull. That's what I get for staying up all night reading bl. I ran my fingers through my short black hair. Today was the first day of my senior year in high school, and also my 18th birthday.

As always, before I left my apartment, I gave air kisses to the photo of my mom and dad. Five years ago, when I was 13, my mom and dad died in a car accident leaving me behind. I had no other family besides my grandma. She took me in and when I turned 15, I began to work many jobs to repay my grandma back for taking care of me. But last year she too passed away. I lived by myself in my rundown apartment ever since. I quit all of my jobs when my grandma died because I had enough money saved up to survive by myself.

I hopped on my dark red bike and weaved through traffic. I leaped off my bike and hurriedly locked it up. I quickly glanced at my watch, 3 more minutes until the bell rang. I ran towards my math class.

"Okay class, open your textbooks to page 138," Mr. Lawrence said. He was a plump old man with greasy slick back hair. Today he was sporting a black dress suit with a checkered tie.

I opened my math textbook and turned to the page. "The value of x...blah...blah...blah." I rested my chin on my right hand. His voice was so boring, it almost always made me want to sleep. Before I knew it, I was zoning out.

"Kai...pssttt...Kai...!" Jake whispered, poking me on my arm with the back of his pencil. Jake was my best friend as well as my only friend. Ever since my parents died, I made sure to keep low. I did not talk to others and after a while, others stopped trying to befriend me. Essentially, I was a lone wolf. I did not want to befriend anyone because I wanted to save myself from the heartbreak later on if something were to happen to them. After all, I was all alone in this bleak world. But ever since Jake transferred to my high school last year, he has been persistent in making me his best friend.

I turned sideways. "Whaaa??" I asked, dazed with my eyebrows raised.

"Mr. Lawrence was asking you a question," Jake said, his blue eyes wide. A feeling of dread crept up my spine. I slowly turned back, facing the front of the classroom. Sure enough, Mr. Lawrence was staring right at me with his beady eyes.

"Mr. Lunao, I suppose you know the answer to this math problem?" He asked as he pointed towards the whiteboard. Fuck! Mr. Lawrence never called a student by his last name unless they were in trouble.

I got up from my seat and I could feel the stares from my classmates on me. I hated being the center of attention. I took the dry erase marker from Mr. Lawrence's outstretched hand. My hand hovered over the whiteboard.

"I don't know," I said. My cheeks blazed red from the embarrassment of being caught not paying attention. I heard a few snickers and I rushed back into my seat. That was so humiliating.

Finally, 7 hours later, the bell for the end of school rang. I rushed out of my seat, eager to escape from this prison-like school. Although the ride to school was about 10 minutes, today I leisurely rode my bike back home, enjoying the fresh air and the sunlight streaming down my face. I was so preoccupied with riding my bike, my wheel caught in a small hole in the sidewalk and it sent me flying. My head was pounding and I felt something soft. Soft?! I looked down and I gasped when I saw an old lady underneath me. The old lady was about 80 years old with black glasses. I quickly scurried off her.

"I am so sorry!" I said frantically. "Are you okay?" I asked. I looked from side to side and sighed in relief when I didn't see blood. Good, she was not hurt. I reached out my right hand to help her up but just then the old lady sat up quicker than a bullet. How the heck? I thought. Her head was bent low, covered by her mane of curly red hair. She started to rock back and forth uncontrollably. The old lady started to mumble something. My heart was pounding as I leaned closer to hear what she had to say.

"You are...about to die..." the old lady said with such confidence that my outstretched hand faltered a bit.

Her words struck like an arrow through my heart.

I was about to die? Surely, it must be because of her old age. Did I somehow miss an injury? This old lady must be hallucinating.

I slowly retracted my hand when all of a sudden as if she was being possessed, she gripped both of my hands with an iron fist. I tried to shake her off but to no avail. She somehow had superhuman strength.

My eyes wandered desperately. "Help!" I yelled. I spun my head 180 degrees and saw trees, trees, and more trees!!! There was not a single person in sight. I needed help. This lady was batshit crazy! Why was there no one here? This is usually a very busy street.

"You will die...die...die...." the crazy lady practically sang as she held onto my hands. Then, her neck bent back at an unnatural angle and her eyes rolled back into her head and she passed out.

Oh god, she wasn't dead, was she? I checked her pulse and breathed a sigh of relief, she was still alive.

"Hello, 911 what is your emergency?" the operator asked me with a monotone.

"Um, I accidentally fell off from my bike onto an old lady. She was spouting nonsense and then all of a sudden passed out." I said with a calm, collected voice.

"Okay, an ambulance will be there shortly."

A few minutes later...

"You can go now, young man." the paramedic said to me. "She is safe in our hands." I shook his hands and watched as the ambulance left. I shook my head. What was that? I was going to die? I shrugged it off.

I grabbed my bike and picked it up. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a dazzlingly bright light. I turned and spotted a dusty old brown book. Was this dropped by that crazy lady? I picked it up and dusted it off. The title read, "The Gold Knight," What a corny title I thought to myself. I packed it into my backpack and thought little of it. Little did I know that would change my life forever.

I came back home and threw my backpack onto my bed. I powered on my computer and smiled. It was time to play the new Bl otome game. I had a secret that I had told no one. I was obsessed with bl, I would read bl books, mangas, and games. Before I knew it it was already late. I looked at the clock, it was 7 pm. I sighed, time to do homework.

I zipped open my backpack and as I reached in to get my binder, I saw the book. I tilted my head. Should I read it? I smiled, it was better than doing homework. I opened the book and leaned my head back on my couch. The first page of the book had the date of publication and shockingly this book was released one year ago. If it was, then why was this book so old, at most I thought this book was at least 50 years old! Maybe the author wanted her book to have this kind of design? I read until about page 9 of the book when I burst out laughing.

"Oh my god," I wheezed, my name was in this book. Kai was a minor side character and the childhood friend of the main character. Kai fell into an unrequited love with Asher, the book's protagonist but was abandoned by him when Asher went to Thornclaw Royal Academy.

As I skimmed through the book, I stopped at once. My eyes widened in shock. What was I reading?

"Since the first time I laid eyes on you, I knew you were the one," Caspian told Asher gently. Caspian grasped Asher's hand and said with great sincerity, "Asher, I love you."

Asher started to weep. Caspian loves me? This can't be. "I love you too, Caspian, but we can't be together!" Asher yanked his arms out of Caspian's hand and ran away. Caspian sprinted after him and hugged him from behind.

"Why?" Caspian asked heart-brokenly. "We will make it work."

"This is improper, you are the crown prince. You are destined to be King of this kingdom as well as this kingdom's savior as the hero who will defeat the demon king." Asher said as he looked into Caspian's gold eyes. "I am of commoner blood and therefore, not fit to be by your side."

Ew! What the heck? I threw the book across my bed. That scene was so corny, like a k-drama. And this was a bl?

Heh, who am I kidding? This book was hella interesting!

I got the book back and I flipped the pages eagerly wanting to know the rest. Throughout the book, I was smiling with all the fluff and flirty bl moments until I neared the end of the book, I stopped smiling.

"No!!!" I yelled into the book. "This can't be..." I muttered. I couldn't believe it! I almost spent all night reading this book and this was the ending?!!

Caliban, the son of an archduke, was the story's antagonist. He tragically died from execution from the order of the crown prince Caspian. He did not deserve this ending, all he wanted was love and acceptance. Ever since Caliban's first scene in the book, I fell in love with him. Everyone misunderstood Caliban. Caliban was just your typical tsundere.

In the bl book, "The Gold Knight" the setting takes place in the Kingdom of Asten and the main character, Asher, is a poor farmer. His childhood friend Kai has been in love with Asher since they were little boys. When wandering priests arrive at their village to measure the commoner's magical abilities, they almost give up hope. In Asten, 90 percent of those born with magical powers were nobles. They were the direct descendants of the chosen ones.

1000 years ago, in the war between humans and demons, a select few were blessed by the gods. The gods' blessings were split into 5 main elemental groups: fire, earth, water, air, and light. It was found that some can manipulate their blessed affinity. For example, a fire knight can manipulate their fire affinity to make a lightning affinity.

The chosen ones and their leader, the hero Cedric, the only one who had a light affinity, sealed the evil demon king away in the Icehearth mountain. The hero Cedric then became King of this land and the chosen ones became nobles.

However, 1000 years later, the demon king's seal was weakening. Thornclaw Royal Academy was founded by the chosen ones for this very reason. At this school, the next generation of heroes would be trained and would rise to destroy the demon king and demons once and for all.

When they measure Asher's magical abilities, Asher displays rare light magic. He is urged to attend Thornclaw Royal Academy where nobility reside. In Thornclaw Royal Academy only a fraction are commoners. Asher then leaves his childhood friend Kai to attend Thornclaw Royal Academy.

On the first day, Asher is bullied by the other nobles for having commoner blood with the antagonist, Caliban, as their ringleader. Caliban was the son of the archduke and cousin of the Crown Prince, Caspian. Asher is then saved by the capture targets: The crown prince, Caspian, the son of a marquess Dustin, son of the great general, Rino, and the son of the archbishop, Allen.

After they became good friends, 5 years later, with the help of the capture targets, the hero Asher defeats the demon king and earns the title the Gold Knight.

Near the book's ending, when the demon king is killed and all of the demons are wiped out, Caliban is sentenced to death.

It was revealed that Caliban conspired with the demon king to bring doom to the kingdom and to assassinate Asher, the kingdom's only hope of winning the holy war between humans and demons. Caliban pleaded with his family but they did not believe him. It did not help the fact that Caliban had relentlessly bullied the Crown Prince's lover, Asher. Only after Caliban's execution, it was revealed that he was in love with Asher and instead of trying to kill Asher, he wanted to infiltrate the demons to find a way to kill them without putting Asher at risk.

Afterward, Caspian ascends the throne and takes Asher as his husband. Asher and Caspian infused their blood with magic to create a child, making their child the heir to the throne. Asher and Caspian became the kings of the kingdom of Asten and led their kingdom to a golden age of prosperity and peace.

"What kind of shitty ending is this?" I yelled, Caliban has been neglected all his life and the only thing he knew was hate. All Caliban did was love Asher with all of his very being and for that, he was sentenced to death. My heart ached for this character.

Tears streamed down my face like a waterfall. If I could, I thought, I would want a chance to love him, to embrace him, and to say you are loved.

I wiped my tears and stood up. Today was my birthday, I shouldn't be crying. I put on my shoes and left to go to the nearby bakery where I got a slice of cake and a candle that said 18. I walked slowly back to my apartment. I took a deep breath of cool night air. It was just a book. I shouldn't let this get to me. As I took in another deep breath it smelled strangely of smoke.

"Fire!!" someone yelled as they ran past me. A few seconds later, about a dozen people shoved past me.

I grew increasingly worried as time went on. That was the direction of my apartment. I picked up speed until I was full out running. My eyes widened in shock from the scene that was being displayed in my very eyes. My apartment was on fire!

I realized with dread that the photo of my parents was inside. That was the only photo that I had of them. I dropped my cake and ran into my apartment despite the crowd of onlookers shouting and pleaded at me to come back.

I pulled my shirt towards my nose to block the smell of smoke. I coughed and coughed and searched for the photo. My vision was getting blurry from all of the smoke. I finally found the photo and grabbed it. As I was about to come out, the ceiling gave way and crushed me underneath.

My breathing became ragged and shallow. My legs were completely trapped under and I laid on my carpet floor gripping the photo tightly. At this moment, the granny's words flashed into my mind like a lightning bolt. "You will die...!" How ironic, I thought. Today is the day I die and is also the day I was born. I closed my eyes and the world went dark.