The leaf no longer moved on its own.
It remained where Ethan had left it, resting on the surface of the water in perfect stillness. The glass sat on the desk, unchanged. Ordinary.
But Ethan was not.
He sat in silence, his eyes fixed on it, his breathing steady. He activated Ren—not fully, not wastefully, but enough to feel his aura extend beyond his skin.
It responded immediately.
Not as pressure.
As presence.
He directed it toward the glass.
Toward the leaf.
It trembled.
A small movement. Barely visible. But real.
Ethan didn't react.
He observed.
Control was not measured by how much he could move it.
It was measured by how precisely he could stop.
He ended Ren.
The aura returned to Ten, resting against his body once more.
Containment.
Obedience.
Silence.
The door opened.
He felt it before he saw it.
Not the sound.
The presence.
The man entered without hesitation.
His eyes moved to the glass.
To the leaf.
Then to Ethan.
"You are learning," he said.
Not praise.
Fact.
He stepped closer.
"Hatsu is not strength," he continued. "It is authority."
The word lingered.
Authority.
"A Manipulator does not overpower," the man said. "He commands."
He reached toward the desk and lifted the glass, holding it between them.
"Force can be resisted," he said.
He set it down again.
"Authority cannot."
He stepped back.
"Again."
Ethan activated Ren.
His aura expanded outward.
This time, he didn't hesitate.
He didn't question.
He commanded.
The leaf moved.
Faster than before.
Smoother.
More certain.
It crossed the surface of the water without disturbance, guided by something invisible.
The man watched without interruption.
"You see it now," he said.
Not a question.
Ethan ended Ren.
The leaf stopped.
Silence returned.
The man turned toward the door.
"Soon," he said, "you will command more than leaves."
He paused briefly.
"Objects."
A step.
"People."
Another step.
"Yourself."
He stopped at the door.
"Hatsu defines your existence in this world."
He did not turn back.
"And existence can be controlled."
Then he left.
The door closed.
Ethan remained seated.
His eyes rested on the glass.
Manipulator.
Not strength.
Not speed.
Authority.
He raised his hand slightly.
Activated Ren.
The leaf trembled.
Obeyed.
And for the first time—
It did not feel like effort.
It felt like instinct.