Chapter 2:

Curiosity .......... Cat (Part2: I will kill it!)

Zero Access

"Grandpa, tell me something interesting!"

"Hmm? What do you want to hear?"

"Tell me about dream worlds."

"Dreams? That's an exciting topic. From where do you want me to begin?"

Young Nao looked at her grandfather, sitting cross-legged on the ground. The smile on his face was so beautiful. It made her heart flutter.

"Well, I guess since you're the one telling me about dreams, start with yours. Tell me everything that happened while you were asleep."

"Oh little kitten, that's a long story. Let's see... Ahh, I remember when I was young, I was always dreaming about a green rabbit."

"Really? A green rabbit? Sounds mysterious. Why did you always have the same dream?"

"Because he was my favourite animal. He was so cute and cuddly. I loved watching him hop around. It was such a lovely sight..." Grandpa sighed. "When I first saw him, my heart skipped a beat. I fell in love immediately. I wanted to find out more about him. So I started following his movements. I would wait for him all day long, just hoping to catch a glimpse of him."

"Why did you fall in love?"

There's no way I could answer this question. Maybe it's because he was so adorable. I guess I'm a sucker for cute things."

Little Nao's eyes sparkled as she listened to her grandfather's dream. As if she understood the feelings behind his words, she started nodding along happily. "That sounds like fun. I wish I could dream about green rabbits too."

"Speaking of animals, there're quite a few interesting facts about animals in general. Did you know that cats always land on their feet?"

"Really? They never fail?"

Whenever they feel themselves falling, they leap into the air before they hit the ground, since their paws are extremely sensitive to touch. " They never do it. Never. They never do. There are hundreds of thousands of whiskers on the paws of cats. When they are in danger, they instinctively jump high into the air before hitting the ground, so they never miss a step."

"Wow!" Nao's eyes sparkled in awe once again. She could hardly believe what she was hearing.

"Did you know that rats are smarter than dogs?"

"Really? Rats are smart?"

There is no doubt about it. The rat is the only animal capable of solving a maze without needing any help, as well as the only animal that is able to count numbers higher than five.

"Wow! Are they smarter than cats? They must have great intelligence."

"No, no, not at all. Dogs are much better at arithmetic. That's why they're considered man's best friend."

"What about cats? Do they have any other special talents besides being able to land on their feet?"

"Cats are simply amazing creatures. They're good at climbing trees, jumping from heights, and reading people's minds."

"I want to see a lot of cats in my dream. I love them so much."

"I think they're very cute, too. Cats in dreams are not only the symbol of innocence and purity, but also of mystery and fear. Sometimes, they're even the harbinger of death itself."

"That's creepy. I don't want to dream about death."

"But you might wake up terrified. That's how strong the connection between death and cats is. People also say that If it was you who killed the cat in the dream when it was attacking you, it is a sign of how you have managed to overcome your fears. Dreaming about dead cats that you did not kill means you feel a lack of independence and self-confidence."

"I want to dream about cute cats only..."

*****

The cat was trying to run away. But it couldn't move properly.

"Don't worry, I won't let you die."

She raised a hand and touched the cat's forehead.

There was a flash of light.

The cat's body froze instantly.

It didn't twitch, nor did its tail wag. It was completely motionless.

She pulled back her hands. Her eyes widened in shock.

"What's wrong? Is something happening?"

Nao asked, worriedly. Curiosity noticed the look of surprise on Nao's face and came closer.

"This cat is frozen solid. This cat is scared of me."

"You're scaring it!" Nao said angrily.

"So, Nao, are you gonna kill it? Or are you going to let it live?"

"Let it live?" Nao gasped.

"Yes. You heard what I told you. If you want to save this cat but you also need to kill it if you want to move onward. Which option do you choose?"

"I... I can't decide. What should I do?"

"Kuro asked you earlier to make a choice and here I am making the same request of you. Choose one way or another. Don't try to make both options work. There isn't time for that."

"But I can't decide. I'm torn."

"Then she will have to decide!" Curiosity looked at the other side of the area where they stood. There, deep in the dark shadows of the unknown, something was moving. A creepy enormous smile appeared in the darkness.

"If you don't kill it, she'll kill it," Curiosity whispered.

"Who's she?!"

"Don't you remember? She's the boss of this place."

Slowly, the gigantic smile grew wider. Its edges became sharper. Slowly, its size increased. The corners of the mouth were bent inwards. Suddenly, it seemed like the entire world was smiling.

Finally, a figure came out of the darkness. It was none other than Nao's reflection, the one who made Nao go through this nightmare.

"Why are you here?" Nao asked.

"Isn't obvious, sweetheart? I've been waiting for you. I am your reflection. If you won't kill the cat, I will be the one doing it. So just get out of my way."

Nao's reflection, which from now on we will call Kagami, walked towards her.

The cat was still frozen. Its fur had turned white, it wasn't moving, and its eyes were wide open.

"Hand over the cat," Kagami said with a mocking grin.

Without waiting for Nao's reply, the cat disappeared and then reappeared immediately on Kagami's palm, as if it was teleporting.

"Tch!"

Kagami ignored the unhappy look on Nao's face and walked towards a nearby abyss.

"Hey, wait!"

When Nao ran after her, she saw the hole had no end. Not knowing what else to do, Nao kept following her reflection, who stood at the edge of the abyss.

"Good luck."

Before Nao could ask what she meant by that, Kagami threw the cat into the abyss.

"No!"

Nao screamed. She tried to run forward, but there was nothing to grab onto. In an instant, the cat fell through the darkness below.

"How cruel! How mean!"

Nao's head spun, and she felt dizzy. Tears spilt down Nao's cheeks.

"Now the problem is solved, for me at least. Now the cat will die, and you can continue your meaningless journey."

Kagami turned around and started walking away. She threw a wink over her shoulder as she left. "Don't forget to pray for good fortune."

Nao watched the abyss until the darkness swallowed all that was there.

"Okay, so maybe I'm confused right now, but... at least I know what I should do."

Nao wiped the tears off her face and prepared herself to jump...

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