Kalen's first lesson lasted no more than ten minutes.
After Sarah agreed on teaching him everything she knew, they quickly went over the history of anima wielding. She explained that as humanity deepened its understanding of the physical plane, researchers made a crucial breakthrough regarding the role of the human brain in the interaction with reality.
Throughout history many intellectuals argued humans could only access a very small portion of the brain's capabilities, while its true potential remained largely untapped. Gradually, mankind found ways to increase such access, but the process had always been painfully slow.
That changed when they found themselves on the brink of annihilation.
The Reclamation meant many things to humanity. A reminder of the repercussions of its actions, of its fragility under the wrath of nature, but also of its perseverance. Almost seven hundred years in the past natural disasters laid waste to most cities under the sun. A global cataclysm that seemed hellbent on purging human existence.
Common folk knew only that the gods stopped it. That the day the skies cleared and the earth stopped shaking marked the first day of the third calendar. Humanity's turning point.
The teachings — recollections of historical events pertaining to the dawn of the new era — said that at the last year of the second calendar, thirteen researchers with unparalleled knowledge on the field of quantum neurobiology discovered the brain's potential to interfere with energy particles around the atmosphere.
Kalen had only ever heard of that field of study because of one of his father's books, and he didn't exactly grasp the concepts its researchers delved into. Regardless, he could understand what interfering with energy particles meant. The brain acted as a power source, its electrical impulses generating reactions which flowed from the human body into the environment.
Sarah told him that when those thirteen researchers explored the vast array of brain stimuli and its potential effects on the physical plane, they found evidence of an even deeper connection between the souls of living beings and the matter which constituted the environment. Nonetheless, it was only when two of them tested their findings under meditative state that the real breakthrough occurred. They learned how to influence physical phenomena according to their will.
By focusing on the connection between their minds and the environment, they reached a deeper understanding of the laws of nature. For each phenomenon observed in the physical plane, there was a correlated brain stimulus which could trigger it. However, only those capable of establishing a link between their souls and Gaea — the essence of wielding anima — could hope to discover how to control a specific stimulus. That process became known as gaining insight, and the creation of phenomena from the use of anima was then referred as manifestation.
Sarah then instructed Kalen to concentrate on learning how to seek Gaea, instead of only waiting and listening when it reached out to him. But when he began meditating under her guidance, he noticed a big problem. It had been almost a full day since he had last eaten.
Kalen had been so absorbed in making sense of all that happened to him and everything he didn't know about his origins, that his hunger remained overshadowed. However, once he noticed it, the gnawing emptiness in his stomach fast became unbearable, as if a bubble of acid had just burst inside him. He needed food, badly.
After gulping as much water as he could, Kalen stepped on one of the dark tunnels leading out of the chamber. 'Don't you go silent on me now.'
'Tell me,' Sarah said. 'how does it feel to put your life on the metaphorical hands of an incorporeal being in your mind?'
Kalen rolled his eyes. 'I'm dead.'
Sarah chuckled. 'That would be me. Anyway, don't worry, as long as we keep moving through the right tunnels, there's nothing to be afraid of.'
'Which means,' Kalen said. 'there should be plenty in case we end up on the wrong ones.'
He reached for the amulet under his shirt and focused on it like he had done before. The piece still contained remnants of Sarah's anima imbued in it and it resonated when Kalen added his. He still couldn't properly wield anima, but his instincts and the familiarity from previous times he felt it allowed him to tap on just enough power to accomplish his intention.
The amulet shone a silver light, functioning as a lantern of sorts which brightened the dark tunnel. With Sarah indicating the route, Kalen began moving.
'You never told me how you know your way through these tunnels.' Kalen noted.
'This cavern is located inside Meren forest, a big vegetation area in the south of Novarus.' Sarah explained. 'Large biomes offer an ideal training ground for aspiring wielders, since it is exponentially easier to practice seeking Gaea and deepening the link with it while surrounded by nature. My mother used to bring me here to camp and train when I was young.'
'Interesting.' Kalen said. 'Do all children in Novarus learn like that?'
'Not really.' Sarah said. 'There are too many risks in traveling outside the boundaries of city belts, as I am sure you are aware of.'
Kalen nodded. 'So it's the same in Novarus.'
In Athrea, the main reason keeping people from traveling outside the main hubs was the constant threat of being attacked by bandits. They were ruthless and disregarded any law or moral of society. It would be one thing if they were only after the travelers' belongings, but the stories said they often slaughtered their prey, or worse, slaved them.
There were also the rebels that defied the rule of the Emperor, but they didn't target common travelers, only those which held some importance in the Emperor's society.
For those reasons it was common practice for travelers and merchants to wait until official security could be provided by the Emperor, or any specialized company with permission to operate in the imperial roads. The movement of people through unsupervised areas — as far as Kalen knew — was fairly limited. It seemed the gods of Novarus hadn't been able to avoid a similar problem.
'Most academies and universities in Novarus provide more than suitable alternatives.' Sarah said. 'So there isn't a real reason to seek these biomes. Unless, of course, you're a descendant. We're supposed to learn faster, to have a deeper understanding, and to produce higher results. My mother always made a point of reminding me of the expectations our precursor had of our family, so we came often.'
'Precursor?'
'That's how we in Novarus refer to each god who originated a lineage.' Sarah said.
Kalen entered a new tunnel, letting his hand slide through the crystalline granite wall. 'I can't imagine how it must have been to grow up under that kind of pressure.'
'It was... difficult.' Sarah said, confirming Kalen's suspicions.
Would he exchange the humble childhood he had hidden away by one in which he grew up knowing he was a descendant? No. That was an easy answer. He might have had luxuries and maybe even adulation, but he questioned whether or not he would have what he really desired. Peace.
'The irony is,' Sarah continued. 'My mother taught me so well I ended up disagreeing with her vision. Descendants aren't supposed to follow the path I wanted for my life, but I had become so strong I could ignore tradition, so I went ahead and did it.'
'Are we in a point in our relationship where I can ask what you did?' Kalen teased.
Sarah chukled. 'You're cute. Why don't we make this even better then? It will be a chance for you to practice deepening our soul link. Try seeking Gaea. After that I'll focus on some of my memories and you'll sift through them. Your first real lesson begins now.'
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