One year passed.
For ordinary humans, a year was insignificant.
For me?
It was transformation.
I stood alone within the shrine courtyard, wooden talismans fluttering gently in the wind as spiritual energy flowed through them like invisible currents.
The system window hovered before my eyes.
[Template Synchronization: 9%]
Only three percent growth after an entire year.
At first glance, it sounded disappointing.
But I understood better now.
I was nine years old.
My body, my soul, even my spiritual pathways were still developing. Rapid growth too early could destabilize everything.
Slow progress wasn't failure.
It was foundation.
"As long as the percentage rises," I murmured, "time is on my side."
And I had more time than anyone else in this world.
Fifteen centuries before the modern age.
An absurd advantage.
The real reward of the year wasn't the percentage.
It was the memories.
They arrived gradually, like waking dreams.
Meditation beneath snowfall.
Drawing seals until my hands trembled from exhaustion.
A stern but patient teacher correcting my posture.
Tatmo.
The name surfaced naturally now — my master from Hao Asakura's past life.
No.
Not past life.
My past.
I remembered studying under him as clearly as I remembered yesterday's training.
The smell of incense.
The rhythm of chanting.
The moment spiritual perception first opened completely.
I had lived it.
And with those memories came power.
[Memory Integration Complete — Onmyoji Training: Tatmo Lineage]
Effects:
Massive Mana Increase
Advanced Spirit Knowledge Unlocked
Yokai Classification Database Expanded
Talisman Mastery (Intermediate)
Mana surged through my body, deeper and heavier than ever before.
Spirits nearby instinctively retreated, bowing without conscious thought.
Even the air bent slightly around me.
After only a year of study…
…I had surpassed my teacher.
Not because he lacked talent.
But because I carried centuries of mastery compressed into a growing vessel.
My master knew it too.
"You have nothing left to learn from me," he said quietly that morning.
No jealousy.
No anger.
Only acceptance.
"You were never meant to remain here."
I bowed deeply.
Respect was genuine.
Without him, my foundation would have been weaker.
Without guidance, power could have become instability.
"Thank you, Master."
He studied me for a long moment.
"You walk a dangerous path," he warned. "Your presence feels… ancient. Be careful not to lose your humanity."
I didn't answer immediately.
Because I wasn't sure how much of it I still possessed.
I left before sunrise.
No ceremony.
No farewell crowd.
Just a small figure in white robes walking toward the mountains.
Toward destiny.
Toward history.
Because learning alone would no longer advance me fast enough.
The system favored action.
Conflict.
Legacy.
Creation.
And so, standing atop a quiet hill overlooking untouched land, I made my decision.
"I'll build something of my own."
Not a temple.
Not a school.
A lineage.
A power that would survive centuries.
A name that would echo through history long before heroes and gods began their wars.
I raised a talisman, spiritual energy igniting along its surface.
Spirits gathered instantly, drawn by instinctive authority.
"I am Asakura Hao."
The words felt natural.
I wasn't pretending anymore.
"I will establish a clan that stands above shamans, above sorcerers… above history itself."
Energy surged outward, marking the land with invisible spiritual boundaries.
A declaration to the unseen world.
A new force had appeared.
[System Notification]
Major Achievement Unlocked:Clan Founder
Clan Established:Asakura Clan
Rewards Granted:
Synchronization +2%
Authority Over Bound Spirits Increased
Unique Skill Unlocked: Clan Soul Link (Dormant)
[Template Synchronization: 11%]
I smiled slowly.
Progress accelerated the moment I began shaping the world instead of merely studying it.
Far away, ancient beings stirred faintly — entities sensitive to shifts in destiny.
The supernatural world had noticed.
And this…
…was only the beginning.
The Asakura Clan had been born.