WHERE IS LEYLA?

Naru rested his hand on the temple wall, his eyes fixed on Leyla who was holding the scroll in her hands. His voice was low, warning:

"Leyla, put that down. Don't open it."

Leyla turned toward him, raising an eyebrow. "What do you think will happen? Will it swallow me? It's just an old piece of paper."

"Leyla!" Naru took a step toward her, but it was too late. The moment her fingers unrolled the first part of the scroll, the space around her began to twist. The temple walls tilted in impossible directions, the floor shook, and the air became as heavy as lead.

Leyla's body trembled. She tried to release the scroll, but it clung to her hands, pulsating with an ominous light. Her eyes widened in fear.

"Naru?" her voice trembled.

And then, in an instant, everything collapsed.

A bluish light exploded from the scroll, enveloping Leyla in a vortex of energy. Her body was pulled back as if an invisible force was sucking her into the darkness behind the paper. Naru rushed forward, arms outstretched, but he only caught a strand of her hair before she disappeared completely.

Silence.

The temple stood undamaged, but Leyla was gone.

Naru stood motionless, staring at the spot where she had just been. His mind couldn't process what had just happened. Then, as if something inside him had snapped, he slammed his fist into the floor.

"Leyla!" His scream echoed through the empty temple.

Kaito stood a few steps behind, his face pale. "This isn't good… This is really not good…"

Naru stood up, his nails digging into his palms. He looked around wildly, like a wounded beast.

"We have to find her. There has to be a way to bring her back!"

He ran to where the scroll had fallen, grabbed it, but the paper was now ordinary. No light, no energy. Rage overtook him. He tore the scroll in half and threw it to the ground.

"It can't be! It can't be!" His fist hit the nearest pillar, the wood cracking under the force.

Kaito watched with concern, but also understanding. He approached, raising his hand in a calming gesture.

"Naru, we need to pull ourselves together. If you fall apart in anger, it won't help her."

"How am I supposed to be calm, Kaito?!" Naru turned, his eyes red from tears and fury. "She's gone! She… she's mine! And I couldn't protect her!"

His voice cracked on the last word. He hit the ground again, this time so hard that small pieces of stone scattered.

Kaito moved closer, but now with a firm voice. "Naru, listen to me. Let's think this through. If the temple is still standing, that means she's not dead. She's somewhere. We just need to find out where."

Naru trembled, trying to compose himself. He took a deep breath, then another. "How? How do we find out?"

Kaito looked at him seriously. "We have to get out of here. Someone has to know what happened."

Naru was still on the verge of breaking down, but he nodded. He pulled away from the pillar and walked toward the temple exit. However, the doors were sealed. Even when he slammed his shoulders against them, they wouldn't budge.

"Damn it!" he muttered through gritted teeth.

"Let me," Kaito placed his palm on the door and began muttering ancient words. A circle of symbols appeared on the surface of the wood, only to vanish immediately. His face tightened. "It won't open with normal magic. There must be another exit."

Naru had no patience left. He drew his sword from his belt, raised it high, and swung it at the door. The sharp sound of metal hitting wood rang out through the room, but the door remained intact.

"WE CAN'T BE TRAPPED HERE!" he growled, ready to strike again, but Kaito put a hand on his shoulder.

"Naru, stop. Try to feel the space around you. Something's changing…"

Naru wanted to shove him away, but then he focused. And then, somewhere in the distance, he felt the pulsing energy.

"There!" he pointed at the western wall.

They rushed toward it, with Naru leading, his hands burning with adrenaline. When they reached the wall, he raised his hand and touched it. Suddenly, the wall began to glow, becoming transparent.

"That's a passage," Kaito whispered.

They didn't wait. They passed through it and suddenly found themselves outside, in the light of day. But they were not alone.

A few meters away, stood a monk in white robes, leaning on a staff. His face was calm, but his eyes gleamed with ancient wisdom.

"Welcome back, Prince of Yokai," he said in a quiet but powerful voice.

Naru froze. "Who are you? Where is Leyla?!"

The monk nodded. "Don't search for her here. She is no longer in this world."

Naru nearly snarled. "What does that mean?!"

The monk sighed, as if feeling sorry for him. "The scroll she opened… took her to where she belongs. To her world. She is no longer here. And she will not be able to return."

Naru was speechless. Kaito's eyes widened. The wind blew between them, carrying the weight of the truth.

___

The night was heavy and grueling. Naru hadn't slept. He couldn't. Everything inside him was tense, as though a part of his soul had been ripped away. His Leyla had vanished before his eyes, swallowed by a scroll that shouldn't have even existed. He sat in his dark office, turning a ring between his fingers, completely unaware that his eyes had been glittering with rage and pain for hours.

Kaito sat across from him, holding a book in his hand, but had not flipped through a single page in a long time. He could feel the tension in the air, he felt Naru's pain and anger, but he didn't know how to calm him. This Naru was different. More serious. More dangerous.

"We have to find a way to bring her back," Kaito said quietly, breaking the silence.

Naru suddenly looked up and pierced him with his gaze, full of fury. "Do you know what that means? 'We have to bring her back'? That's not an option. That's the only possibility. There's no world in which I'll continue without her."

Kaito sighed. "I know, but if you keep going like this, you won't help anyone. Not yourself, not her."

Naru ignored him, stood up, and walked towards the window. He stared into the night but didn't see it. All he saw was the moment Leyla vanished. His fists clenched. "Someone knew about that scroll. Someone deliberately planted it."

Kaito paused. "So, you suspect this wasn't an accident?"

"I don't suspect," Naru hissed through his teeth. "I'm sure. And I know exactly who could have done it."

Kaito raised an eyebrow. "Who?"

Naru turned to face him, his eyes burning with rage. "Akihiro."

Kaito sighed. "Naru…"

"No!" Naru interrupted before Kaito could say anything reasonable. "From the first day with Leyla, I didn't like his behavior. He followed her, helped her in the library, stayed close to her… and now, she disappears under mysterious circumstances? I don't believe in coincidences."

Kaito rolled his eyes. "Okay, if you're so sure, let's talk to him. But calm down, please. We won't get anywhere if you kill him before we get answers."

Naru didn't answer. He just stormed out of the room, and Kaito immediately followed him.

They were outside the library, the place they last saw Leyla before they went to get the scroll. Akihiro was standing inside, flipping through some old manuscripts. When he saw them, he raised his eyebrows. "What do you want now, prince?"

Naru didn't respond. In three steps, he was in front of him, grabbing him by the collar and lifting him off the ground. "Where is she?!"

Akihiro didn't resist, just stared at him coldly. "You've lost it."

Naru slammed him against the wall. "Don't play with me! Leyla is gone, and you knew about that scroll, didn't you? You planted it!"

Akihiro rolled his eyes. "Yeah, of course. Because I have so much free time to deal with such nonsense. Let me down."

Naru didn't let go. "Give me a reason not to snap your neck."

Kaito placed a hand on Naru's shoulder. "Enough. Let him go. I don't think it's him."

"I don't think it's him either," Akihiro said, staring directly at Naru. "If you use your brain, you'll realize this was the work of someone who doesn't want Leyla here."

Naru froze. "What does that mean?"

Akihiro finally broke free from Naru's grip and adjusted his clothes. "It means someone did this for a reason. And someone who knows what Leyla actually is."

Naru and Kaito exchanged glances. "But who could—"

"Monk," Kaito said suddenly.

Naru immediately turned around. "That bastard knew more than he let on. He told us Leyla went to her world and that we should stop searching. How did he know?"

Akihiro smiled. "Now you're on the right track."

Naru didn't wait. He turned and headed straight for the temple, determined to find the monk and make him tell the truth.

The journey to the temple was long and exhausting. Kaito tried to calm Naru down, but he wasn't in the mood for conversation. His mind was focused on one thing – the truth.

When they arrived, the temple was eerily silent. No one was there.

"I don't like this," Kaito muttered.

Naru didn't answer. He just opened the door and walked in.

And there, in the middle of the room, stood the monk. It was as if he had been waiting for them.

"I knew you'd come," he said calmly.

Naru clenched his jaw. "Tell me everything you know."

The monk sighed. "I told you everything. Leyla is in her world. Where she belongs."

"How do you know?" Naru cut him off with a glare.

The monk smiled. "Because I'm the one who sent the scroll."

Silence.

Kaito blinked. "You're… what?!"

Naru didn't even blink. "Why?"

The monk shrugged. "She's not a part of this world. Her place isn't here. I did what had to be done."

Naru's rage exploded. He lunged at the monk, but before he could reach him, some invisible force threw him back.

"No!" Naru yelled, but couldn't move.

The monk stood calmly. "Leyla is gone. She will find her way. You now must find yours."

Naru struggled against the invisible force, but he couldn't overcome it. "You don't know who you're playing with."

The monk laughed. "Oh, I know exactly. That's why I did what was necessary."

Kaito stepped forward, trying to calm the situation. "If she's really in her world, is there a way to bring her back?"

The monk looked at him. "Maybe. But first, the prince must decide what he is truly willing to sacrifice."

Naru gritted his teeth. "Everything."

The monk nodded. "In that case… prepare yourself. Because what's coming won't be easy."