He stirred to see a ceiling fan whirring above his head as a nurse tended to another patient. He groaned as he looked around. He was in an infirmary or hospital, or something. The previous night's events flashed back to him, and he started to sweat as he sat up. Kai's head was pounding. The nurse spun around to see him sitting up. "You're awake! I thought the carbon monoxide would have done a number on your brain."
"Carbon Monoxide?" What was she talking about? Was it the demon? "Yeah, when a fire happens without enough oxygen, carbon monoxide is produced. It can bind to your blood. Okay, evil gas kills you." She started to dial someone. "He's awake." He didn't care who she was calling. His only friend died at the hands of that monster. It pissed him off, headache or not.
A man walked in... accompanied by a service drone, a tall 6'0 robot with nondescript features, completely white, purely synthetic. The robot offered him some tea, but he refused as the man sat in front of him. "So, kid, let's start with your name?" The kid looked at the guy. "Kai..."
"What's with the face, Kai? You're looking at me like I hurt you." The guy said, prompting Kai to explain what happened at that party, but he wasn't taking this as seriously as he should have been. "I felt like there was something deep in my bones. I could see everything so clearly, smelt smoke... That thing ate my friend..." The man nodded.
"Sorry for your loss. What was his name?" Kai sighed at this question; it was a poor attempt at empathy, but at least he was trying. "Brayden. We shouldn't... even have been at that party, but his dumbass-" Tears streamed down his face. "Wanted a... grown woman. We were 14, man!"
The guy nodded. "I truly am sorry for your loss, but you did survive. It doesn't sound like you want this to happen again, do you?" What kinda fuck-ass question was that? "Of course not!" This question angered Kai. "I understand that question was off, but you need to understand." There was a more serious tone in his voice. "You have magic. Look, I will be honest, if your friend didn't die to that demon, I doubt we would be having this conversation."
Kai listened and really listened to the man. "You have magic. I know what I want, and I want you to join my academy, but what you want and what I want align. I want to rid the world of demons, so what happened to your friend Brayden can be prevented and stopped. What do you say...? Think about it. You can either join or feel sorry for yourself for not being able to protect the ones you loved like Brayden."