WHAT SHE WAS NOT MEANT TO KNOW

The silence was heavier than the stones in the ancient temple.

Leyla stared into the mirror, at a reflection that wasn't hers.

Her long hair cascaded over her shoulders, but it seemed darker, as if absorbing light rather than reflecting it. Her eyes were the same warm brown as always, yet now they held an unfamiliar glimmer. And then… that symbol on her wrist, which had been nothing more than a simple, small tattoo moments ago, was now pulsing with a crimson glow.

"What is this?" she whispered.

The mysterious man behind her didn't answer immediately.

"The mirror does not only show reflections," he finally said. "It reveals truth."

Leyla shivered.

"This isn't the truth. This isn't me."

"Oh, but it is."

Leyla flinched as she felt Naru step closer. His hand barely brushed her elbow, as if to offer comfort, yet he said nothing.

"You are the blood of fate," the man continued. "The bearer of lost knowledge."

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Leyla said, stepping back.

The man observed her and then calmly replied,

"But you do."

Leyla shook her head, but… something deep in her subconscious shifted.

Something that had been sleeping for a long time.

Long-Forgotten Images

Suddenly, the world around her blurred.

She was no longer in the temple.

Stone corridors, the scent of incense, the sound of footsteps echoing through narrow passageways.

Someone was calling her name.

But it wasn't Leyla.

It was something else.

Something that rang in her bones, something both unknown and terrifyingly familiar.

Then—sudden pain at her temple.

Leyla clutched her head, trying to push the images away.

"Leyla!" Naru's voice was tense.

Opening her eyes, she realized she was back in the present, but her legs felt weak. Naru caught her before she collapsed.

"What did you do to her?" he growled, glaring at the mysterious man.

The man simply raised a hand, unfazed by Naru's anger.

"I merely unlocked what was already inside her."

"Unlocked what?" Leyla's voice was hoarse.

The man smiled, but there was no warmth in it.

"History, princess. A history you were never meant to know."

Leyla's heartbeat quickened.

This was not just about finding an artifact.

This was not just about the contract Naru had tricked her into signing.

This was something much, much deeper than she had ever imagined.

And then she realized something else.

The mysterious man had called her princess.

Just like Naru.

But for some reason, she had a feeling he wasn't using it as a nickname.

"What do you mean—a history I wasn't meant to know?"

The man studied her with an intense gaze, as if he could read every thought in her head.

"More precisely," he said, "a history they made sure you forgot."

Leyla swallowed hard.

"Who are they?"

The man smiled faintly, but there was no joy in it.

"The people who wanted you gone from this world."

At that moment, Naru took a step forward, positioning himself protectively between Leyla and the stranger.

"No more riddles," he said coldly. "Who are you, and what do you know about her?"

The man looked at Naru, then back at Leyla.

"I am simply someone who knows the truth."

"Then share it with us," Leyla said, summoning her courage.

The man leaned against the temple wall, as if contemplating how much to reveal.

"There was a woman, long ago, who bore the same mark on her wrist as you."

Leyla instinctively looked at her wrist, where the symbol still pulsed with a faint reddish glow.

"And?"

"She belonged to neither the human nor the yokai world. She was the bridge between them."

Leyla's eyes widened.

"What does that mean?"

The man regarded her with something close to admiration.

"It means, princess… that you are not just a lawyer from the human world. You are not merely human."

Leyla's breathing quickened.

"That's nonsense."

"Is it?"

Naru finally spoke up.

"Why would you even want her to know this?" he asked sharply.

The man shook his head.

"Because soon, she will have to make a choice. And if she doesn't know who she truly is, she will make the wrong one."

Leyla clenched her fists.

"I've had enough of these cryptic answers!"

She stepped closer, her eyes blazing.

"If you know something about me that I don't, tell me now."

The man studied her for a moment, then said calmly,

"Your real name… is not Leyla."

Naru immediately moved, as if to stop the conversation, but it was too late.

Something inside Leyla's mind flickered.

Like a key slowly turning in a lock.

Memories surged into her consciousness—unclear, foggy, but stronger now.

Her heart knew he was telling the truth.

"What did you say?" Her voice was quiet but filled with tension.

The man met her gaze steadily.

"I said your real name is not Leyla."

A weight pressed against her chest. That couldn't be true. Of course, her name was Leyla. That's what she had been called her whole life, wasn't it?

But then… why did a part of her, deep down, feel that this was true?

"This is ridiculous," she snapped, trying to sound confident. "Of course, my name is Leyla. My passport, my documents—they all confirm it."

"Documents are just paper. But your blood… it does not lie."

At that moment, Naru moved abruptly, as if he had finally lost patience.

"Enough!" he said sharply. His usual easygoing nature had vanished, replaced by a raw authority that sent a chill down Leyla's spine. "You will not fill her head with half-truths and lies."

The man simply raised an eyebrow. "Oh? And who here is the one keeping secrets from her?"

Leyla turned to Naru, her stomach twisting.

"Naru…?"

Naru clenched his jaw. "Don't listen to him, princess. He's trying to confuse you."

"But… is it true? Is my name not Leyla?"

Naru didn't answer immediately.

And that was an answer in itself.

Leyla felt her hands tremble.

"Naru," she said again, this time softer, uncertainty creeping into her voice.

He sighed, closing his eyes for a moment, as if gathering his strength.

Then he opened them again and met her gaze directly.

"It's not."

Silence.

Her thoughts were in chaos, as if her entire world had been turned upside down.

"How… how do you mean?"

The man smirked slightly. "Leyla… your real name is…"

But before he could finish his sentence, something happened.

The air shimmered, as if an unseen veil between dimensions had been lifted.

Then—a sudden impact.

Something massive and invisible struck the man, hurling him backward into the temple's shadows.

Leyla gasped and stumbled back as Naru grabbed her wrist, pulling her toward him.

"We're leaving," he said firmly.

"But—what was that?!"

"We don't want to find out."

The shadows shifted.

Something was awakening.

And it wasn't friendly.