Ryosuke focused, letting the cursed energy expand around him. Like an invisible wave, it quickly spread through the air, enveloping everything in its path. Soon, he hit a limit—about 100 meters. Beyond that, he could feel the energy thinning, as if it was becoming too weak to maintain its cohesion.
"Interesting… I wonder if I could extend it further using a domain. But how do they do it in the manga again?" He scratched his head, perplexed. Activating a domain? It still felt too vague for him, but he kept the idea in mind for later.
Then his gaze returned to the grass in his hand. Something was wrong. Why hadn't it regained its original color? It had returned to its physical form, but that vibrant green was still missing.
As he thought about it, he began to realize that his power went far beyond just controlling matter. He focused again, infusing the grass with his cursed energy.
And then, he saw them.
Three subtle glows emanated from the grass. They weren't visible to the naked eye, but with his power, he could perceive them clearly.
The first glow was faint, providing him with information about the physical composition of the grass—its fibers, structure, everything that made up its "body." This was the simplest part, the one he had acted on to reconstruct it.
The second glow, however, was different. It pulsed softly, like an emotional vibration. It wasn't physical matter but something deeper. The soul. It was the soul that carried the life, the essence of this simple plant. This glow was what he hadn't touched during the reconstruction, explaining its sickly appearance.
The third glow, on the other hand, was mysterious. It seemed dormant, hidden beneath the others. Ryosuke could barely perceive it, but it was there, lurking in the shadows. He sensed it, like a primal force waiting to be awakened.
"Body, soul… and spirit," he murmured, staring pensively at the grass.
These insights came to him without him asking. He now understood that his power could interact with these three aspects. By reconstructing only the grass's "body," he hadn't restored its soul, which explained why it no longer seemed as vibrant as before.
"If I really want to fully use this power…" He clenched the grass between his fingers. "I'm going to have to learn how to act on all three."
The mere thought of such a capability sent a shiver down his spine. With this power, he could modify much more than matter. He could touch the soul of things, maybe even their spirit. But how far could this power go?
---
Ryosuke walked home, dragging his feet, his thoughts still swirling from his recent discovery. The streets of the neighborhood were quiet, bathed in the soft afternoon light. He nodded to the neighbors he passed, though his mind was elsewhere, focused on one thing: his power.
He stepped into his apartment, his mind still buzzing with the events of the day. It was late, and the sun was beginning to set, casting a soft golden glow through the windows.
His mother, as always, was in the kitchen, busy preparing dinner.
"Good evening, Mom," he called out, dropping his bag by the entrance.
"Good evening, sweetheart," she replied without looking up from her pot. "How was your day?"
"Oh, nothing special," he lied, trying to ignore the images of cursed spirits and disintegrated grass that still danced in his head.
He took a few steps toward his room when a shrill voice rose from the living room.
"Hey!" his sister shouted, still glued to the TV with her ever-present bag of chips. "You're home early today. I didn't see you with your friends at the arcade."
Ryosuke rolled his eyes.
"Shut up, Sayuri."
He really wasn't in the mood for one of their usual bickering sessions.
"Don't be mean to your sister," their mother's firm voice called from the kitchen. "Go get changed."
Ryosuke obeyed without protest. He climbed the stairs two at a time, eager to retreat to his room. He closed the door softly behind him, savoring the silence and the privacy of his sanctuary.
His bag slid off his shoulder and hit the floor with a dull thud. He collapsed onto his bed, staring at the ceiling. But his mind was elsewhere. He had just remembered that he had been reincarnated into another world. A world where cursed spirits roamed, where sorcerers fought to protect humanity, and where, somewhere, he was.
After a moment, he sat up and opened his notebook. He jotted down all the information he could recall from the manga, trying to orient himself in this new reality. After several minutes of analysis, he was certain.
"That's it…" he murmured, looking over his notes. "I'm a year before the start of the Jujutsu Kaisen storyline."
TO BE CONTINUED
Next Chapter: Need for More Experimentation