The elder continued, "Close your eyes and summon your Anima."
The children obliged and summoned their Anima. Beast Anima Users' bodies transformed as their Anima possessed them. Their bodies developed fur, claws, scales, tails, etc. Various Armament Anima appeared in some of the other children's hands. Plants, such as trees, vines, flowers, etc, appeared for the others, Daren being one of them. Only Body Anima Users showed no change. Their Anima was a part of their body and didn't show any external manifestation. They were always present and active.
'Gemini Anima Users with Body Anima really have the best of both worlds. Unlike other Gemini Anima Users, they can use both of their Anima at the same time. Such a pity that his Innate Essence is only Level 2,' the elder thought as he glanced at Daren. Seeing that all children had summoned their Anima, he continued.
"Close your eyes and sense the world through your Anima. Let it become the channel that connects you to the world. Soon, you should be able to sense the ambient essence spread throughout the world. Try to absorb the essence through your Anima"
He waited for his word to sink. One thing he didn't say was that the higher the Innate essence, the easier it was to sense and absorb ambient essence. But it was a fact. The higher the Innate Essence, the more attuned the body was to essence. As if to prove this fact, Roan was the first one to sense and absorb essence. It was pretty clear to someone as experienced as the elder. He saw that Roan's breathing had fallen into a unique rhythm.
Their breathing slowed and turned deep. The other elders and some warriors who were watching silently began talking in low voices.
"Roan is amazing, isn't he?"
"To be able to absorb essence so soon, Level 9 Innate Essence is really amazing."
"As expected of the Village Chief's grandson. No wonder he is the apple of his eye."
"Especially after his daughter died. If it weren't for Roan, the Village Chief most definitely would have gone on a vengeance fueled bloodbath."
Slowly, more and more children also began showing similar signs. All children except for one. Daren. His breathing was turning fast and shallow instead. They looked at him with contempt.
"He really lives up to the name Withered Roots."
"He's struggling to even breathe."
"Even with Gemini Anima, he can't catch up to those with a single Anima."
A discordant voice spoke up, "Isn't he just a child? Why are you all cursing him so much? Calling him names, treating him like shit… Why?"
The others looked at the speaker. It was Landor. He had arrived recently after his village had been destroyed. But he was a Level 29 Anima Commander, just a step away from becoming an Anima General. So, he had been welcomed with open arms, unlike most refugees.
Another warrior said, "Landor, you don't understand. That wretch is the reason why many of our family members are dead. If it weren't for him…"
Landor asked, "How? How could a child who just awakened his Anima cause the death of your family members? From what I know, he just arrived here two years ago, after his village was destroyed."
A warrior said, "Valm Village and Ga'al Village, his home, had been allies for a long time. So it was very common for the people of the two villages to marry each other. Daren was the son of Ga'al's Healer. His father could have healed the warriors, but left the battlefield to save his son instead. He is the son of a deserter. If it weren't for him, his father wouldn't have left, and so many lives wouldn't have been lost."
Landor scoffed, "So you're blaming the boy, just because a father chose his son? Since you detest him so much, you might as well detest me. I also lost my children. And divinity be my witness, if I could save them, I'd have deserted too. You all disgust me."
The warriors were silent. They didn't agree with Landor, but he was much too powerful for them to argue with. Most of them were still Anima Soldiers. So they just silently looked at the children.
They saw that Daren was struggling even more. A few moments earlier, he had followed the elder's words and tried sensing the world through his Anima. But his Gemini Anima were turning out to be a curse instead of a boon. At first, he felt nothing. But then, as if a switch had been flipped, he felt everything. It was too much for him. Both of his Anima sensed the world very differently. Sensing those two very different interpretations at the same time was causing a sensory overload for his brain. It took him quite some time to barely adapt. He then finally tried to absorb the ambient essence. Unfortunately for him, that went just as badly, if not more.
His Anima were like starving, ravenous beasts who had finally found food. They absorbed much more essence than they could refine. And Daren had to bear the brunt of all that essence. His body felt as if it were on fire. As if his blood wasn't blood but magma flowing through his veins. It was particularly intense for him because his Anima was his body.
And it wasn't just his body. His Tree Anima was also aching. It was like cracked earth, and the essence was water. It could devour a lot but retain just a little. Eventually, the pain got too much, and he began screaming in pain. Just as the pain was becoming too much for him to handle, nothing happened. Everything went black.
Unbeknownst to him, Landor had appeared behind him when he had started screaming. He had struck Daren's neck with a precise strike, rendering the child unconscious. He looked at the elders and the warriors with increasing disgust and said, "You should be ashamed of yourselves."
He gave them one last look filled with contempt before picking Daren up and leaving.
The elder coughed in embarrassment and said, "This is what happens when you exceed your limits. Your bodies are still fragile and can't refine large quantities of essence. You must stop when your bodies start aching. Don't worry, as you grow stronger and your bodies become more accustomed to essence, your limits will also increase."