The sky was beginning to tinge with shades of pink and orange, announcing the arrival of dawn. The chirping of birds mingled with the crowing of roosters that marked the beginning of a new day. However, Forny was still in his sleep, immersed in a strange and unknown world.

Suddenly, a raspy, distorted voice began to whisper in his ear, almost as if coming from the shadows of his mind.

—You can save the world, but you can't save your world. You know you can't avoid the fate of the world, and worse, you can't avoid your fate. Very soon, darkness will reign, and the world you know will cease to exist. I have you in my sights, Forny Reiznek. So watch your step from now on.

Forny, still in his sleep, tried to react, but his words were drowned out by the garbled sound of the voice.

—Wait, how do you know my name? -he asked, his mind foggy.

Before she could get an answer, the sound of her phone alarm broke the spell. The clock read half past nine in the morning. Forny woke with a start, his heart racing and a strange feeling in his chest.

—Those damn dreams again," he muttered, rubbing his face. -But this time it was different. What could it mean, what that voice said to me?

He stretched lazily, letting out a slight yawn.

—Bah, why am I thinking about this so much? Dreams don't mean anything... or so I want to believe.

Forny got up and, as he opened his closet, his eyes stopped on a light blue jacket. It was the last garment his mother had given him before she died in a tragic car accident. That very day had been her fourteenth birthday. The jacket was too big for him, but it brought back memories he wasn't yet ready to face.

—Maybe I'll wear it when I get the courage to get over this.... -he sighed.

Finally, he opted for a white shirt that brought out his light brown eyes, and gray pants. As he left his room, he heard the soft meowing of his cat Mishu, who was eagerly waiting for him in the living room.

—Meow..." said Mishu, rubbing against Forny's legs. -You sure are hungry, aren't you? Because I'm starving too. Let's go to the kitchen!

Forny smiled and petted his cat before walking with him to the kitchen, which was somewhat neglected due to the economic situation of the house. Since he had been orphaned, everything had changed. His income was barely enough to cover the basics, so he was looking for odd jobs to make ends meet.

In the kitchen, he started preparing pancakes and coffee, while feeding Mishu kibble. The cat purred with happiness as he received his food.

—I wish I could give you more, my little friend! -As he ate, he thought about the future, the bills he couldn't pay and how life didn't seem to give him a break.

Once he finished, he got up, grabbed his backpack and bent down to pet Mishu.

—Take care of the house while I'm gone, okay? I promise everything will get better soon.

He quickly left the house, closing the door behind him. It was a sunny day, with birds singing happily. But suddenly, he heard a familiar voice calling out to him.

—Do you know how long I've been waiting for you? Do you have any idea?

Forny smiled as he recognized the voice. It was Laura Izuki, his childhood friend, a girl as radiant as spring, with short purple hair and crimson red eyes.

—Hello, Laura. I told you not to wait for me to go to school.

Laura looked at him with a teasing smile and replied:

—I do it because I want to! Besides, who else but your childhood friend is going to wait for you to go to school? Be honored.

Forny let out a laugh and said to her:

—Yeah, yeah, whatever you say. How about we go to school already and stop wasting time?

—What did you say? Ahhh, how I hate you! -laughed Laura as they both set off.

As they walked, Forny decided to tell Laura something.

—Hey, I've started having these weird dreams. I don't know what's wrong with them, but for the last two weeks I've been dreaming about a completely different world. I've been doing some research about it, and this morning, I heard a voice saying to me, "You can save the world, but you can't save your world." I don't know what it means, but I guess I'm not sleeping well, maybe because of work.

Laura stared at him, taking a serious tone for a moment.

-I don't know what those dreams mean, Forny, but maybe you're hallucinating or maybe the dreams are just tormenting you. The best thing to do is to rest and stop thinking about it.

She pointed to herself and smiled.

—But don't worry, I'm your childhood friend and I'll support you no matter what.

Forny smiled in relief.

—It's good to have a friend like you.

Finally, they arrived at the school, an ordinary building. As always, Laura said goodbye energetically.

—See you later!

—Yes, see you later," Forny replied.

They parted, and Forny walked down the hallways until he reached his classroom. As they entered the classroom, an awkward silence pervaded the air.

—Look who's here... Forny Reiznek's orphan," came the mocking voice of Mayilla, one of the most popular girls in the class, followed by the laughter of a few classmates.

Forny frowned and replied calmly:

—Very funny, Mayilla, could you stop doing that every time you see me?

Mayilla raised an eyebrow and challenged him with a mischievous grin.

—Why the sad face? -she said, approaching him with a mocking tone.

Forny didn't stay silent.

—You're the president of the student council, aren't you supposed to show more respect?

Mayilla glared at him.

—And who do you think you are to tell me what to do, orphan!

Forny raised his voice, tired of her constant provocations.

—At least I'm not a kept man, and I don't depend on my parents. You, on the other hand, are just a spoiled and conceited child.

Mayilla scowled and, with a jerk, raised her hand to slap him.

—Retract what you just said or things will get much worse for you, Forny.

With a faint smile, Forny walked away toward his desk.

—It looks like what I said touched your pride. If you have nothing more to say, I'll leave.

He sat down, unconcerned about Mayilla's fury, as she thought: That's the way things are going to be from now on, I'll be sure to ruin your life.

—Are you going to let her treat you like this? -asked Denek, her friend.

Forny sighed.

—With everything that's going on, I don't know....

Denek, as always, encouraged him.

—Come on, man, she's been treating you like this since school started. At least today you spoke your mind. You got my respect.

Forny smiled slightly.

—Haha, thanks. I'll think about it when school's out.

—By the way, do you have your math homework? -Denek asked, changing the subject.

Forny raised an eyebrow.

—How long has it been since you've done homework?

Denek shrugged.

—You know, video games. I'm a professional gamer.

Forny let out a laugh.

—No wonder you flunked out of prestigious schools.

The teacher entered the classroom, interrupting the conversation.

—Quiet, everyone! Take your seats!

The classes were long and boring, as usual. Finally, when the siren sounded to end the school day, Forny and Denek quickly left the school.

—See you, Denek.

—Sure, I'm in a hurry to play. See ya.

Forny started to walk home, when a voice stopped him in his tracks.

—Hey, where do you think you're going? -Saiko said defiantly.

Forny frowned as he recognized her.

—What do you want now, Saiko?

He looked at him with a cruel smile.

—I didn't like what you said to Mayilla, Forny. You better watch your step from now on.

Suddenly, Forny remembered the words of the voice in his dreams. A shiver ran through his body.

—Were you afraid? -Saiko laughed, pushing him to the ground. -You know what, back off, you scum.

Forny stood up quickly, confused and distressed.

—Why is everyone treating me like this? What did I do wrong? -he asked himself silently.

He pulled out his cell phone and saw it was late.

—Crap! It's 6:25, I have to hurry to work.

He ran quickly, crossing streets and parks, until he reached his house. He opened the door and was greeted by Mishu with a meow.

—Meow..." the cat greeted him.

Forny petted him and went to his room to change quickly. He was in a hurry and, although he wasn't in the mood, he saw his mother's light blue jacket in the closet.

—This time I'll wear it... -he thought, as he put on the jacket and ran out of his house.

The sky was beginning to darken when he arrived at his job, a small coffee shop where he had started working six months ago, when he lost his family.

—I'm sorry I'm late, I had some inconveniences, but I'll get back to my job.

The hours passed, and finally, when his shift was over, his boss looked at him.

-Nice jacket. Where did you get it?

Forny replied, with a slightly sad smile.

—It's a gift from my mother. I don't know where she bought it, but it's special to me.

—I'm so sorry, Forny," said his boss, in a sympathetic tone. It's late, go home.

—See you tomorrow," Forny replied as he headed for the door.

When he got home, he fed Mishu, then lay down on the bed, exhausted. He closed his eyes for a moment, only to fall fast asleep.

But, in his dreams, a familiar voice woke him.

—Hey, hey, get up! It's not time to sleep anymore.

Forny half-asleep replied:

—Five more minutes?

—No more five minutes! Get up!

When Forny opened his eyes, he realized something terrifying: he was no longer in his room. He was in his dream world, surrounded by a forest landscape, and Mishu, his cat, was talking to him.

—This is not a dream," said Mishu, looking around. -We're stuck here.

Forny didn't know what to think.

—Is this really not a dream? -he asked, still in disbelief.

Mishu looked at him with an impatient face.

—If you want me toprove it to you, I'll give you a punch to show you that it's not a dream.

Forny, still in disbelief, saw the landscape around them and marveled.

—This is incredible! -he exclaimed. -But how is it that you can talk?

Mishu shrugged.

—I don't know, maybe because I'm hungry? -she said, as her insides growled.

Forny, still processing the situation, turned on his cell phone, but soon realized something even stranger.

—There's no time! The clock isn't ticking!

Mishu, without losing heart, began to explore.

—Well, I'm hungry anyway. Let's see what we can find to eat.

Forny followed him, though he still couldn't believe what was happening. Were they really trapped in a different world? How could they return to the real world? And what did the dreams he'd had mean?

Without knowing it yet, they were both about to receive a revelation that would change their lives forever.

Suddenly, a screen appeared in front of Forny: "WELCOME TO THE VIRTUAL WORLD."