The next morning, Daren woke up at dawn and sat quietly. The villagers' bitter words had stung much more the day before. He had gotten used to it, but he was still just a child. 'I'll prove them wrong,' he thought.
He sat quietly and closed his eyes. He tried sensing his two Anima. The first sensation that he felt was his body. The blood flowing through his veins, his beating heart, the breath in his lungs, and… A growling stomach. He opened his eyes and reached for a root. He had gotten a bunch last night, enough to last him the week. As soon as he bit the bitter root, he noticed something different.
The root tasted even more bitter than before. He wondered if it had gone bad. Daren tried another root, but it still tasted the same. Then he suddenly realised something. It wasn't the roots, it was him. His senses had sharpened. Most likely a result of his Body Anima. He resisted the gag reflex and finished the two roots. Bitter as they were, they would quell his hunger for now.
He then left his hut and summoned his other Anima. A tree appeared in front of him. Tears subconsciously appeared in his eyes as he recognised the tree. His father's Anima was just like it. A banyan tree. It seemed much larger in front of his small frame, but he knew that it was still small. His father's Anima was much larger. Its bark was dry and cracked, the hanging roots thin.
Then he focused on the flower buds on the roots. Wait, buds? On roots? He realised that the hanging roots were a combination of roots and vines. He tried to make the buds bloom, but they refused to budge. He did move the roots, though. He could control them like they were his limbs. Though only two at a time and he was still very clumsy with them. Thankfully, he had decided to move outside, or he would have destroyed his hut.
Just then, he heard the sound of a large bell. 'So, it's time,' he thought. He knew what the bell indicated. It was summoning all the newly awakened Anima Users to the village centre. The elder was about to give his lessons. He would do this every year so that the young ones like himself could learn about Anima.
He made his way to the village centre. He lived right on the outskirts of the village, so it took some time for him to reach there. On the way, he saw the adults going on about their day. Most of them were sending their children to the village centre.
Giving them gifts, praising them, etc. The rest were discussing yesterday's ceremony. The Village Chief's maternal grandson, Roan, to be precise. He had awakened a mutated Beast Anima, a fusion of his father's White Ape and his mother's Vajra Bear with a level 9 Innate Essence.
He and Roan had once been friends. Roan's mother had married his old village's Chief. And with him being the village healer's son, they had become friends. But things had changed after arriving in Valm Village. Influenced by the adults, he had grown distant. And Daren had lost his only surviving friend.
While Daren had been deep in thought, the villagers had also noticed him. They began gossiping, "Hey, isn't that Daren Withered Roots? I heard he awakened Gemini Anima, but his Innate Essence is only level 2."
"He is called Withered Roots for a reason."
"Even Gemini Anima couldn't break his curse."
"What a wasted opportunity."
"Right, if my son had awakened his Body Anima, he surely would have had high Innate Essence."
The increasing murmurs brought Daren out of his thoughts. His sharpened hearing didn't help in the slightest. Even though it had been two years since he had arrived here, their words still cut the same. He couldn't understand why they targeted him like that.
He was just a kid, wasn't he? Or was he truly cursed? Daren slapped his cheeks lightly. This wasn't the time to be thinking about this. He hurried to the village centre as he didn't want to miss the elder's lesson.
He reached there and saw a large group of children sitting on the ground facing the elder. He quickly took a seat, only for the nearby kids to silently shift a bit further. He ignored them. After a few minutes, the elder finally began.
He began speaking, his ancient but powerful voice reaching even those who were sitting at the last, "Yesterday, you all awoke your Anima. But it is only the first step of cultivation. To become powerful warriors and protect our village, you still need to work hard.
You are all currently at the first stage of cultivation. The Anima Novice Stage. The path forward is divided into 12 Stages and Four Phases. Each Phase has three Stages, and each Stage has ten levels.
You need to meditate and absorb the ambient Essence that inhabits the world. Once absorbed, you need to refine the Essence with your Anima. Once you reach Level 10, you will go to Celestria."
A boy asked, "Elder, where is Celestria? And why do we need to go there?"
The elder replied, "Even I don't know its location. The best way to describe it would be another world. But you must go there. You must hunt an Animakin suitable for your Anima and absorb its Origin Bead."
Another boy asked, "We'll need to… hunt?"
The elder laughed and said, "Don't worry. You won't be alone. You may choose two people to bring along with you. But remember, they cannot be more than 20 levels stronger than you. Animakin grow stronger as they age. So their strength levels are divided according to their age. They begin from 10 years, 100 years, 1000 years, and so on.
The level that you can absorb depends on the Animakin's age and your compatibility with it. Though most of you won't be able to absorb an Animakin more than 600-700 years old. And even that's only if you have a high enough compatibility with it. Otherwise, 500 years might be your limit. Of course, those with a Body Anima are uniquely privileged in this case. They are generally able to absorb older Animakin, relying on their powerful bodies."
As he said this, he glanced at Daren. It wasn't just him. Most of the children sitting nearby stared at him. Thankfully, before he could become uncomfortable, the elder continued, "But that's too far away. Right now, I'll teach you meditation."