Mirage of Blaze (Associated Names)

Along with Ai No Kusabi, Mirage of Blaze is one of the classic BL light novels. Propped up as more of an actual novel than your average yaoi, it’s quite easy to enter the series with high expectations, only for it to fall short. Like proper novels, the series is quite slow and it takes a while for the romance to develop.

The MC is the reincarnated Kagetora who first appears as Takaya Ougi. He’s your standard high schooler, with higher morals and talent and is overwhelmed with the new world he’s drawn into. While simultaneously has to dodge an intense, burning passion from the only person who can guide and protect him (Nobutsuna Naoe/Yoshiaki Tachibana).

While their relationship is somewhat at a standstill due to the MC’s confusion, Naoe’s guilt, their past and the fact that they’ve kept this up for several incarnation cycles with nowhere to escape.

If you take your time and enter with lower expectations, the story is pretty good for a light novel and contains a decent mix of fantasy and yaoi with an archaic flavour.