Naobito Zenin stood with his hands tucked into the sleeves of his haori, sharp eyes following every minute movement of his youngest son. The courtyard stones were etched with faint lines of cursed energy—evidence of Projection Sorcery being executed flawlessly, frame by frame, without hesitation.
Naoya moved as if the world itself obeyed his tempo.
Each step snapped into place like a perfectly edited reel of reality, his body splitting motion into precise intervals that left even veteran sorcerers gasping. When the technique ended, there was no flourish, no wasted motion. Naoya simply stopped.
Naobito exhaled slowly.
It had taken him two full years to achieve that level of refinement. Two years of broken bones, missteps, and humiliating corrections. And yet Naoya had done it with the casual ease of someone walking down a familiar hallway.
But something was… wrong.
Naobito expected pride. Or hunger. Or at the very least, satisfaction.
Instead, Naoya's expression was flat. Almost bored.
His eyes shifted toward Naobito, but there was no spark of excitement at being witnessed. No silent plea for acknowledgment. If anything, his gaze carried faint confusion—like he couldn't understand why his father was staring so intently.
That was it, the look seemed to say. Isn't this normal?
Naobito frowned.
They were not close. He knew that. Among all his children, Naoya was supposed to be loud and arrogant. Well, since he is supposed to be next in line, that much is given.
The only reason Naobito had come at all was Ogi's report.
Naoya defended Maki.
Defended one of the failures. One of the twins was cursed by weakness, by disgrace.
Naobito cleared his throat. "Naoya."
"Yes?" The reply came instantly it wad polite, but empty of warmth.
"I heard you interfered earlier," Naobito said. "You spoke out of turn."
Naoya tilted his head. "I corrected misinformation."
Naobito's eyes narrowed. "You defended someone beneath you."
For the first time, something flickered across Naoya's face—a mild annoyance. "Hierarchy only matters when it reflects reality," he said calmly. "Maki didn't deserve punishment for something she didn't do."
Silence fell heavy between them.
Naobito felt irritation coil in his chest. "You should learn how the Zenin Clan works," he said coldly. "Strength decides worth. That's the order that keeps us alive."
Naoya met his gaze without flinching. "Then shouldn't we value strength wherever it exists?"
Naobito didn't know what to say to it. "Don't repeat what you did. Continue your training. You're still far too weak to stand against me." Naobito said, poking at Naoya's confidence.
He is becoming too arrogant. Naobito said. If he praises what Naoya did today, he has no doubt that Naoya will become even more arrogant.
---
I looked at the disappearing Naobito. For this body, he is the father. But from the tone, we are not that close; it's good that way. I also don't want to close with the generational wife beaters.
But one thing I confirmed from his tune was that what I did today was something easy to achieve. I don't know how to unlock the full potential of Projection Sorcery. What should I do now?
What is the peak of projection sorcery anyway? In the anime, Naobito was a grade A sorcerer. To be truthful, speed-wise, I think I can catch up to him. But I don't understand what he means by "weak."
Was there any unknown weak point present in my technique? Maybe I still need a bit of polishing after all; it's my first time.
Since I checked out my technique, next I need to increase my strength.
The way I can imagine being at the foot of powerhouses in this world is through domain expansions. I don't know what original Naoya's domain was, but since I am different, mine would be different, as I read that domains often form from users' mindsets and needs. I really hope it will be something that can pump up my strength.
"I am hungry after all that practice; let's go eat something."
~~~
Give me lot of comments and Power stones. Give me inspection.