I. The Silent Council
Narrator: Elder Zen'in – Inner Council
The walls of the hall were covered with shoji paper panels. A candle flickered in the center of the room, casting long shadows on the tatami floor.
Three elders were gathered. None spoke yet. Until the youngest, Asahi, broke the silence.
"Naoya's been acting... different. Very different."
Shigeru, the oldest, slowly turned his head toward him, one eye half-closed with time and the scars of his past.
"Different how? Is he failing in combat?"
"No. Quite the opposite. His progress is... worryingly clear. He hasn't missed a single training session. He's already surpassing the physical standards of the rest of the boys, even the 16-year-olds. But that's not the strange thing."
The third elder, Kaito, then spoke, his voice slow and deep:
"Then what is it?"
Asahi narrowed his eyes.
"Naoya was always arrogant. He argued, he complained. He laughed condescendingly. He dominated, but he made a show of it. A few weeks ago, we stopped doing all that."
"You mean he became... humble?" Kaito asked mockingly.
"Not exactly. It's like you no longer need to impress anyone. Like he knows something we don't."
There was a tense silence. Shigeru murmured,
"When someone stops seeking the clan's approval... that's when they become truly dangerous."
Asahi agreed.
"I'll propose a test."
"A fight?"
"A mission."
Kaito raised an eyebrow.
"Which one?"
"Yamashina. There's a Grade 2 spirit that has killed livestock and two civilians. We'll tell him to face it alone. No escort. No detailed information."
"Do you expect him to fail?"
"I'm waiting to see if he acts like a Zen'in... or something more."
II. The Order
Narrator: Naoya Zen'in (reincarnated)
The servant who came to summon me seemed more nervous than usual. He avoided my gaze, as if something about me intimidated him more than before. His voice trembled slightly:
"Naoya-sama... the elders wish to see you. It's... an official mission."
It wasn't common for a 14-year-old boy to be summoned directly. When I arrived, the hall smelled of incense and judgment.
Asahi greeted me with his hands folded in his lap. He smiled... but it wasn't a friendly smile.
"Naoya. You've seemed stronger lately. Firmer. More... serious. That's good. An heir should project strength before words."
I nodded without speaking. He tilted his head.
"Don't you talk as much as you used to?"
"I don't need it."
Shigeru grunted softly, and Kaito hid a smile between his fingers. Asahi continued,
"A curse. Grade 2, maybe higher. It's appeared in Yamashina. It's unstable, aggressive. It's killed animals and humans. I want it removed."
"Alone?"
"Can't you?"
He said it lightly, almost provocatively. As if he expected me to react. But I didn't. I just kept my gaze steady.
"Give me the coordinates. I'll leave tonight."
Shigeru murmured,
"Not a question? Not a complaint? Not a 'why me'? That doesn't sound familiar, kid."
"Maybe I've changed," I said.
Asahi studied me closely. Then he ascended.
"We'll find out soon enough."
3. The Preparation
Back in my room, I sat in front of the mirror with the spear resting on my legs.
"Doesn't that sound like you?" I repeated quietly.
I stared at myself for a few seconds.
"You have no idea what that sounds like me. The real Naoya was trapped in the image of what he was meant to be. Not me. I don't have to be anyone. I just have to defeat everyone."
I took the bandage and wound it slowly around my fingers.
"And when that happens... you won't be able to do anything."
4. The Curse
The path was covered in mud and wet leaves. The air smelled of dampness and death.
I moved forward with a firm step until I felt the presence. Strong. Irregular. As if throbbing with pure hatred.
An elongated curse, with arms ending in spiral claws and multiple eyes blinking uncoordinated, emerged from the trees.
"Ah... there you are," I whispered.
The creature let out a high-pitched scream. I hadn't expected it. It launched itself at me without plan or pause. It was filled with rage.
Active Astral Projection.
And the world changed.
The monster's movements were slow. Measurable. Like a slow-motion video.
"First step, evasion," I told myself mentally. I slid my foot to the left. Hip roll. "Second, mark the neck." The spear rose, slicing at shoulder level.
The creature cooled, retreating.
"Not yet. Not enough yet," I whispered.
I lunged forward, spinning on my own axis, and pierced its chest with surgical precision. A second later, I was on the other side of the cursed body.
I returned to normal time. The spirit's body shattered into cursed fragments before it fell to the ground.
It was standing. Whole. Breathing heavily.
And I hadn't broken a single bone.
V. The Old Man's Perspective – Hidden Observer
From the edge of the clearing, hidden by the foliage, Shigeru watched everything. His subordinate could barely follow the fight.
"Was that... Astral Projection?"
"Yes," Shigeru murmured, without looking away. "But not as we teach it. Or as adults use it. It was... surgical. No spectacle. No rage. Just technique."
"And that worries you?"
The old man clenched his jaw.
"It terrifies me."
"
When the fight was over, the old man turned and said quietly:
"That's not the arrogant boy who threw spears out of rage. That's not the child who wanted applause. That boy has a plan. And we're not in on it."
VI. The Return
I returned to the compound before dawn, covered in dried mud. I walked silently to the elders' hall and left the cursed fragments on a sealing cloth.
I didn't say a word.
When I bent down to leave, Asahi stopped me:
"Naoya."
I stopped without turning around.
"What did you feel when you killed her?"
I answered without pausing:
"Nothing useful. Just noise."
"And what did you feel when you were done?"
"That I could do it again."
I left without waiting for his reaction.
VII. Epilogue – Naoya's Internal Monologue
"It wasn't an exam. It was a trap disguised as a test. They wanted me to fail or break.
They didn't succeed.
I know what I am. I know what I was. And I know what I can build.
If I let them see who I really am, they'll destroy me.
So I'll play their game. For now.
But the day will come when I will sit on that council...
And I will burn incense over their names."