RAIZEN

Raizen sat upon the high throne of his palace, shrouded in shadow. Flames of bluish light flickered along the walls, while dark curtains swayed gently in a wind that did not exist. His gaze was fixed on an old, yellowed map spread out before him on a massive black stone table.

The artifact.

He had been searching for it for far too long. His subordinates had scoured every ancient ruin, every lost temple, and every forgotten record in this dimension, yet he still lacked what he needed. Now, he had only one lead left, and that lead was tied to her.

Leyla.

A human. A woman. He had expected her to break—to scream, to beg, to become powerless. But she hadn't. Somehow, she had endured. She defied the very rules of this dimension.

How?

Raizen was no fool. He knew she wasn't an ordinary human girl, but he couldn't quite grasp what made her different. Why hadn't she lost her mind? Why hadn't she collapsed?

Their physical closeness was of no interest to him, but the fact that she had survived for so long in a world of yokai creatures was a mystery.

If her body could adapt to this world… Perhaps she could be used for something much greater.

A slow smile played on his lips.

The artifact was important, yes. But now it seemed that Leyla had become just as valuable a resource.

Raizen sat upon his throne while his subordinates whispered in hushed voices through the dark corridors. Though lanterns cast a faint glow upon the cold walls, the atmosphere in the hall was heavy with uncertainty. His eyes, cold and calculating, remained locked on the scroll that one of his loyal servants had just handed him.

"So… they are still searching," Raizen murmured, turning the scroll in his hands. His obsession with the artifact had nearly consumed him, but now, a new question intrigued him—how had Leyla, an ordinary human girl, managed to survive in their dimension for so long?

A servant, bowing deeply beside him, spoke in a trembling voice. "My spies tell me that she is… unusually strong. She has shown no signs of weakness, not even after everything she has endured."

Raizen chuckled, but the sound held no warmth. "Interesting… I expected her body to begin deteriorating under the weight of our energy. And yet, she still stands beside him, as if our realm does not harm her."

He paused for a moment, lost in thought.

Perhaps the rumors were true. Perhaps Leyla was something more than just an ordinary human woman. If that were the case, then her value far exceeded a mere connection to the artifact.

Perhaps she was the key to something far greater.

"Continue to watch them," he finally ordered. "I will not allow a single one of their movements to escape me. And… I want a detailed report on everything she does."

The servant nodded and swiftly left the room, leaving Raizen alone to contemplate his next move.

If his instincts were right, this game was about to become far more interesting than he had anticipated.