Daren sighed in relief. He muttered, "So it's just fat. I can burn that off pretty easily."
Landor heard this and didn't know how to tell him the truth. But it was something that had to be done. He said, "Essence Fat is different from normal fat. It is almost impossible to burn it off with conventional means."
Daren looked like he was about to cry. He said, "So, I'll be like this forever?"
Landor replied, "Maybe, maybe not. Things might be a little different for you since your entire body is your Anima. Which includes the Essence Fat. We can only be sure once you absorb an Origin Bead for your Body Anima. And for that, you need to absorb this."
Landor took out the pouch and handed it to Daren. Daren opened it curiously. He found a pale orange, almost yellowish bead inside. He took it out so that he could examine it closely. He saw that it had a vague shadow of a tree that he would never forget. The Aspen.
He looked at daren and asked, "Is this…"
Landor nodded and replied, "Yes. this is the Hundred Roots Aspen's Origin Bead."
Daren asked, "Then how do I absorb it?"
Landor replied, "Summon your Anima and channel your essence into the Bead. What happens next is different for everybody. Just don't give up."
Daren held the bead in his hands and summoned his Anima. It pulsed faintly, like a beating heart. The moment he pushed his essence into it, the bead dissolved into streams of light that rushed into his body.
He gasped. His vision spun, and suddenly he was no longer in the cave. Instead, he stood in a forest of roots. They spread endlessly in every direction, weaving over and under each other, alive and suffocating.
He saw them clearly — thick banyan roots, and the delicate threads of wisteria blooms. But mixed among them were roots that weren't his. Blackened, heavy, and ancient. The Aspen.
The air grew heavy. The Aspen's shadow rose from the roots, its vague outline towering above him, branches spread wide. It looked at him with silent malice. The bead had carried the last remnant of the Animakin's will. Even dead, it still refused to yield.
A surge of vitality slammed into him, hotter and heavier than anything before. His body locked up. His muscles cramped, his skin burned, his head pounded as if his skull would split. His Silver Nerves lit with pain, every sense magnified until even the sound of his heartbeat was deafening.
He staggered, clutching his head. "Not again…" The same flood as before. The same destruction. His Essence Fat burned painfully, releasing bursts of vitality he could barely control. His own body had become a battlefield.
The Aspen's shadow pressed down, roots lashing at him, trying to smother him. His banyan roots trembled, bending under the flood. For a moment, he felt himself slipping — his vision dimming, his body tearing apart.
Then Landor's words rang in his mind. "Your body is the earth. Let your nerves be rivers. Let your roots drink."
He clenched his teeth. "Then drink!"
His banyan roots twisted violently, surging forward to meet the Aspen's shadow. They coiled around its roots, strangling them, piercing deep. Wisteria buds burst open along the branches, scattering violet petals that glowed faintly with life.
The Aspen's vitality tried to resist, but his nerves had already begun to stabilize. The silver threads spread further, carrying the flood like wide rivers instead of fragile veins. The overload eased — no, not eased. It was consumed.
He felt it then. The rush of vitality pouring into him. His banyan drank greedily, his wisterias bloomed brighter and brighter, until the shadow began to wither.
The Aspen groaned one last time. Its towering form cracked and shattered into dust, scattering like ash in the forest of roots. All that remained was the essence, sinking into his core, fusing with him.
Daren gasped and fell to his knees, sweat dripping down his face. But this time, he was not broken. His Anima had devoured the Aspen.
He knelt there, chest heaving, as the forest of roots around him began to change. The banyan roots grew thicker, steadier, and the wisteria blooms no longer trembled—they swayed gently, scattering petals that dissolved into streams of light. His nerves, once screaming with pain, now glowed silver, carrying the vitality smoothly through his body.
The inner forest pulsed once, twice, then stilled. Balance.
When Daren opened his eyes, he was back in the cave. His whole body felt heavy, but the heaviness was no longer suffocating—it was full, alive, grounded. He could feel the Aspen's essence woven into his own. His roots pulsed with new strength, his body thrummed with power.
A system of flows had formed within him. The Silver Nerves carried essence like rivers. The banyan roots anchored them, drinking deeply. The wisterias bloomed along their course, scattering vitality to soothe the flood. It was his Anima—his and no one else's.
Landor leaned forward, searching his face. "Well?"
Daren clenched his fists. His skin gleamed faintly copper, his muscles tensed with fresh strength, and beneath the surface he felt the vitality stored in the Essence Fat stirring, no longer just a burden but a reservoir waiting to be tapped. He looked up and met Landor's gaze.
"I… I did it," he whispered. "The Aspen is mine."
Landor studied him for a long moment, then finally nodded. "Lv.11. Anima Soldier. And not just that—you've also achieved Silver Nerves. That's not something most achieve this early." He exhaled, half in relief, half in awe. "But don't let it blind you. What you carry now can crush you if you lose control."
Daren understood. His victory came with weight. His nerves were sharper, his senses clearer, but the Essence Fat pressed on him, a constant reminder that power always came with a price.
He looked down at his hands again. Stronger, heavier, steadier. His path had begun.
"I won't waste it," he said softly.
Landor gave a small smile, rare and fleeting. "Good. From this point on, your roots belong to this world."