THE CONTRACT

(Back in the temple, just before Leyla signs the contract.)

Leyla sat at a low table, legs crossed, trying to hide her discomfort while the man in front of her seemed completely relaxed.

"Sir...?"

"Oh, sorry. My name is Naru."

"Alright, Mr. Naru," Leyla said, trying not to focus on how his name sounded too mythical to be real. "Can you please explain why we're having the meeting here instead of in a normal office?"

Naru leaned his elbow on the table, resting his chin on his hand, observing her with something that could have been amusement. Or maybe hunger.

"Because the truth would be hard to digest in an ordinary setting."

Leyla blinked. "Great way to inspire trust in a lawyer."

Naru smiled. There was something in that smile – both charming and unsettling. Like he knew something she didn't.

"Anyway, before we discuss the details of the case, you'll need to sign a confidentiality agreement. Standard procedure."

Leyla rolled her eyes and took the scroll he offered. The paper was thick, old-fashioned, like something from a museum.

"No digital version?"

"Unfortunately, we still use traditional methods here."

Leyla sighed and briefly glanced at the document. The text was in ancient Japanese, but it was translated into English.

Or at least, she thought it was.

She skimmed through the usual clauses – "the party agrees to confidentiality," "the party will not share information with third parties"… nothing unusual.

The only thing that seemed suspicious was a section that mentioned "the shared destiny of the parties involved in the contract," but she dismissed it as some silly metaphor.

She picked up the brush, dipped it in ink, and signed at the bottom.

( The magic activates.)

The moment the ink touched the paper, she felt something strange – a light pressure in her chest, as if the air had thickened.

She looked at Naru, who still wore the same amused expression.

"Great," he said, leaning closer. "Now you're mine."

Leyla froze. "Pardon?"

"In a legal and spiritual sense. Congratulations, wife."

"Wife?!"

Leyla suddenly stood up, knocking over her chair, while her brain worked overtime trying to process what she had just heard.

"This isn't a confidentiality agreement?!"

"It technically is," Naru said casually, twirling a ring on his finger. "But it's also a marriage contract. A small bureaucratic mistake."

Leyla felt her blood boil. "A mistake?!"

"Well... maybe not exactly a mistake."

"I'm going to kill you."

"That would be extremely difficult, but I appreciate the enthusiasm."

She took a deep breath, trying not to faint from rage.

"Why?!"

Naru stood up, slowly walked around the table, and stopped in front of her. He was taller than she had realized.

"Because I need you."

Leyla crossed her arms, refusing to show how unsettled she was.

"There's something I'm looking for. An artifact stolen from the imperial treasury. It turns out you're the key to finding it."

"Me?!"

Naru nodded.

"Your tattoo."

Leyla looked at her wrist. A small, almost imperceptible mark – she had never known what it meant.

"Only someone with that mark can locate the artifact," Naru continued. "And since I can't force you to help me..."

"You decided to trick me into marriage?"

Naru shrugged. "I admit, it's not the noblest method, but it's effective."

Leyla grabbed the scroll from the table and tried to tear it up – but the paper didn't budge. As if it wasn't from this world.

"It's useless," Naru said. "It's magically bound."

Leyla began to laugh. That dangerous, manic laugh that comes just before a nervous breakdown.

"Alright," she said through gritted teeth. "Fine. Just tell me one thing – how do I undo this contract?"

Naru raised an eyebrow, as if admiring her audacity.

"The only way to annul your marriage to the yokai prince is to prove my innocence."

"Innocence? In what sense?"

"In the sense that I didn't steal the artifact. Which, by the way, I really didn't."

Leyla stared at him for a few moments.

"You're a demon."

"Technically a yokai prince, but yes."

"So, you're probably lying."

"You don't have to believe me. But if you want your freedom, you'll help me find the artifact and prove who the real culprit is."

Leyla inhaled through her nose, trying not to explode.

"And if I succeed, I'm free?"

"Yes."

"And if I fail?"

Naru smiled at her.

"Then you'll be my wife forever."

Leyla felt her stomach churn.

"Great," she muttered. "Just another day in my damn absurd life."

But before she could react further, the space around her started to change.

The air shimmered, the images distorted, and then –

She was no longer in the temple.

The world around her was different. The sky was dark purple, the moon huge and reddish, and the architecture around her seemed like a blend of feudal Japan and something... otherworldly.

She looked around, her heart racing in her chest.

"Welcome to my world," Naru said, cheerfully.

Leyla closed her eyes.

"Damn it."