What? He was sure he was hallucinating. It must be a dream. He looked at the wall with a confused air about him and kept an eye on the little Nekage, who admired him curiously from his back.

Almost instantly, the bloody writing was reabsorbed from the wooden wall and within seconds, other red letters took shape in the same way.

​​

“This is not a dream, it is reality. You wasted your previous life, you won’t get a third chance.”

“Oh, fuck! Shit! What devilry is this? Taming Demons? I don’t even remember my name!” he said hysterically, “Hey! You… um… stupid inscription on the wall! I’m talking to you!” the young farmer said aloud, while the second inscription also disappeared before his eyes.

As he continued to think frantically, the young man pinched the skin of his arm. “Ouch! I can’t believe it… the pain seems real… everything around me looks incredibly real, even the smell of burnt wood coming from the fireplace!”

“Screek, screeek!” the Nekage exclaimed, drawing his gaze.

“Train a demon in the next 48 hours? I’ve never even seen a…” he continued before staring at the fiery-red eyes of the little pet sitting on the bed. “You… you are by chance a… a demon?”

“Screeek!”

By the vertical movement of its head, the Nekage confirmed that statement.

“Oh my… oh my goodness…” the farmer whispered, retreating and sitting on the stool, while his head kept spinning. This was all out-of-the-ordinary.

“What if… what if what was written on the wall was real? What if I’ll really die forever in 48 hours? I can’t just wait and do nothing!” He never thought I’d say that, “I have to figure out where to find a demon and how to tame it!” he continued, talking to the Nekage as if it could answer him.

“Screek! Screek!”

“Can you help me, little guy?”

“Screek?” the little lizard-cat replied, tilting its head and striving to understand his human words.

“Uff… never mind… I don’t know how I got myself into this trouble, but… it looks like I’ve lost my memory and… okay, calm down. I have to stay calm and think about how to solve this puzzle. I’m sure my mind is playing tricks on me!”

*rumble*crash*

The sudden sound of thunder caused the young man to jump from the stool.

“Great, a storm! That’s all we needed!” he mumbled, approaching the only window of the hut, located next to the front door.

Beyond the opaque window glass, despite the reduced visibility due to the absent light, he managed to recognize some dense vegetation. It appeared as if the house was immersed in a forest and, less than ten meters from the front door, a dirt road skirted the hut.

Without thinking twice and driven by pure curiosity, he opened the door and stepped forward, stopping on the edge and looking around.

Drop by drop, the rain began to wet his face and soon increased in intensity, as the breathtaking view took shape.

What kind of place is this, he wondered, “I don’t remember ever being here…”

*crash*boom*

The sound of a second thunder echoed in the air, louder than before. He immediately closed the door, sheltering himself from the rain and noting that his little friend, intelligently, had not even got out of bed.

“You don’t like rain, do you?”

“Screek!”

“Well, I don’t blame you, who likes it?” he said, approaching the fireplace and warming his hands as the cold air from the outside penetrated through the wooden walls, quickly decreasing the temperature, while the night embraced the hut.

*gurgle*burp* His stomach began to growl.

“I wonder how I can be hungry in a dream… ” he whispered, thinking aloud just to feel less solitude. “Will there be anything to eat here?” he continued, approaching a closed barrel next to that which served as a sink.

After opening the barrel, a strong rotten smell was released into the air, forcing him to step back.

“Ugh! That sucks!” The meat was rotten. He grabbed a piece of the meat contained in the barrel and lifted it to his face, noting that the stink came exactly from there.

*gurgle*

Maybe by cooking it, it will taste better than its smell, he thought.

In addition to the three pieces of meat extracted from that barrel, other fabric bags containing goods were piled up on the bottom along with some glass bottles.

“I hope there’s a good wine among all this stuff…”

“Grrr…” the Nekage suddenly growled, who a moment earlier was focused on watching its master handle pieces of succulent flesh.

“What is it? Aren’t you hungry?” he asked, approaching the fireplace and lifting an old pot resting next to the dry wood.

The Nekage continued to growl and show its short, sharp teeth, identical to those of an alligator.

After blowing the dust out of that rusty pot, the boy leaned it on the appropriate support in the fireplace, consisting of two rudimentary iron cables, and dropped on it the three pieces of purplish meat.

*tzzz* The meat began to cook, emitting a thin white smoke as the metal surface of the pot reached the right temperature.

With his stomach still grumbling, the boy turned to the pet and, being sure it wasn’t dangerous, approached it.

“What’s going on, little guy?” he asked, trying to figure out which direction those two little red eyes without pupils were facing. “The window? What, are you afraid of thunder? Don’t worry, we’re safe from the storm in here. Or at least… I think so,” he continued, scratching the nape of his head.

Without warning, the Nekage jumped from the bed and its growl began to turn into a guttural roar. The blackish scales on its neck rose slightly forward; even those on its back and tail made the same movement.

What…? the young man whispered in confusion, looking at his little friend out of the corner of his eye and approaching the window fearfully.

As soon as his gaze fell outwards, he saw a dark figure walking along the road that lined the hut.

A hooded person held a small torch, the flame of which was protected by a kind of small roof at the top of the wooden stick.