Connection

"What the hell are you talking about?" Yoichi asked again, grabbing with care the pot left on the fire and moving it to the floor, so he could taste the half-burned meat, while his stomach continued to growl.

*Phwwwht*

Without directly answering that question, Enatsu put two fingers between his lips and whistled forcefully.

"Tweet! Tweet!"

After hearing the call of its master, the Waromu perched on the ceiling, let itself fall downward, gliding towards Enatsu and leaning with gracefulness on his shoulder.

"That's what I'm talking about. This is Sora, my Oracle Demon," the young merchant continued proudly, smiling and presenting his parrot-demon to Yoichi, who looked at it carefully, struck by its variety of bright colours.

"Um... Hello! Hey there, Sora!" Yoichi replied, greeting the parrot with his hand.

"Tweet!" the demon answered.

"Hahah! This is incredible! And... how... how did I get my Oracle?"

Enatsu looked at Sora perched on his shoulder, smiling. After a few moments, he took a deep breath and began to speak again. "Okay, it's obvious that you've really lost your memory, young Yoichi! But don't worry! To thank you for your hospitality, I will help you remember everything you need to know about the demons that populate the World of Lumya!" he affirmed with conviction, standing up and resting his hands on his hips, as if he was a superhero ready to help people.

Yoichi looked at his Nekage, about a meter behind him, still intimidated by the presence of the two strangers.

"Er... Sora and I didn't eat anything since we set out this morning, so it would be easier to talk on a full stomach and..."

"Don't worry, Enatsu! You and your colourful friend can get one of these three meat steaks! I'm not sure they taste good, but... that's all I can offer you!" Yoichi promptly interrupted, who had already figured out what his unexpected guest was referring to.

Before Enatsu could respond to that kind statement, the homeowner grabbed the largest of the three steaks, taking care to lift it from the bone protruding to one side so as not to get burned. "Here, take this one. It should be enough for both of you!" he continued, behaving kindly towards the first human being he had encountered since his awakening.

"Uhuhu! Did you hear that, Sora? It's time to eat!" Enatsu chuckled, bowing his head and voraciously denting the meat, peeling off a piece and throwing it into the air towards his Waromu, who grabbed it in flight and swallowed it in one bite.

Yoichi took another steak and put it on the ground, looking at the Nekage and making it realize that that meat would be its meal.

Without contemplating it, the lizard-demon came up to him and began munching on it with its sharp teeth.

"Yum! This meat is delicious! I haven't eaten meat in a long time! You know, it's infrequent to find meat so good where I came from!" Enatsu exclaimed, thanking Yoichi, who was eyeing at his portion scrupulously.

With great reluctance, he too tasted that strange violet steak, and as soon as his palate came into contact with it, its strong flavour intoxicated his senses, causing his body a real physical enjoyment.

"Oh my goodness... it's... it's really good, damn it!" he thought aloud, taking a second bite as if he hadn't eaten in years.

Within minutes, Yoichi, Enatsu and their two Oracles finished eating, while the farmer's hut sheltered their bodies from the rain and the warm fireplace warmed their souls.

"Aahh! This was a great meal! I was fortunate to meet you, my friend!" Enatsu exclaimed satisfied.

"So, tell me... how did I get my Oracle?" Yoichi asked, pointing to the Nekage.

"Oracles are not like other demons, and you can't tame them. In our world, there are two types of people, Yoichi. Those who are born as normal human beings, inheriting the profession of their parents or something... and those like us, the Demon Tamers," Enatsu replied, starting from the very beginning.

His interlocutor did not interrupt him, merely listening carefully to the speech, while the memory of the strange blood writing on the wall continued to return to his mind.

"From birth, the soul of us Tamers are inextricably linked to that of our Oracle, a demon that was born at our same moment."

"Our soul? You mean your soul is tied to that weird parrot? No offense, Sora!" Yoichi asked, pointing his finger at the little winged demon, who looked at him strangely.

"That's right. If anything were to happen to Sora, I would suffer its same consequences. The physical pain, the psychological pain... between Sora and me, we share them all", Enatsu explained, cuddling his pet who was currently perched on his shoulder. "Ah, I almost forgot the most important thing! Tamer's life is closely connected with that of our Oracles!"

"Hey, hey... wait a second. You're saying... if Sora is killed or has an accident, you..."

"I die with it, exactly", Enatsu confirmed, looking at Yoichi with grave eyes and making him realize that, despite his joking character, that was the mere truth.

Almost automatically, Yoichi's eyes shifted to his Nekage, who returned the gaze, and twisted its tail on itself, as if trying to communicate to its master that they were fighting on the same side, for the same interests.

Yoichi listened well to the young trader's words and, while he explained to him about tamers and their indissoluble ties to Oracles in such detail, he could only realize, little by little, that he was not living a dream at all, but pure reality.

His body was reborn, reincarnated in someone else's body, in a world incredibly different from his own, where strange beings called 'demons' lived with humans, bonding with their souls and strengthening their spirit.

In the glassy red eyes of the little Nekage, Yoichi saw for a moment the reflection of his new self: a young Demon Tamer just landed in an extraordinary world to explore.