The crowd had gathered early under the pale lavender sky, where the village square bustled with anxious whispers. Smoke rose from incense sticks near the ancient awakening altar. The time had come for the village children to discover their Divine Spirits — or be marked as ordinary for life.
Shaurya stood near the back, his hands folded, expression calm, but his mind... buzzing.
In the anime, this was the moment Tang San awakened his Blue Silver Grass and the hammer. My moment's coming too... but I'm not him. I'm Shaurya. With three lives inside me.
The Dream Hall overseer had already arrived — a tall figure in black-silver robes, his serpent mask glinting faintly. Rishi Arkan, they called him. His presence alone silenced even the rowdiest children.
Village Head Yajan greeted the Rishi with respectful nods and ushered the children forward, one by one. Spirits flared to life — birds, blades, vines, even a sand mole. Each child's fate lit for all to see.
Then came Shaurya's turn.
"Name," Rishi Arkan said flatly.
"Shaurya," he answered, stepping into the spirit array.
The instant his feet touched the rune-etched stone, a pulse ran through the earth. Wind spiraled upward. The crowd shifted nervously. Even Rishi Arkan straightened.
And then— it began.
A blazing blue light erupted from Shaurya's right hand, wrapping around his fingers like threads of moonlight, weaving into the form of a spirit vine, glowing softly with internal rhythm.
Before anyone could speak, another flare burst — this time from his forehead. A strange, circular pattern appeared, shaped like an eye — not physical, but ethereal, shimmering between realms.
Two spirits. One on the hand. One on the head.
A collective gasp swept the onlookers.
"He has... twin spirits?"
"Incredible!"
"I've never seen one in person!"
But Shaurya knew there was more. On his left hand, beneath his sleeve, the hammer throbbed — heavy, hungry, ancient.
Stay hidden... Not yet.
Then the spirit array lit again — one final time — and a beam of light pierced the sky, signaling a shocking truth:
Full innate soul power.
Even Rishi Arkan stepped back.
"A twin-spirit user with full innate energy?" he murmured. "Such a rare combination… this boy could reach the heavens."
Yajan stumbled forward in disbelief. "In all my years... I've never seen…"
The crowd had fallen silent, staring.
Rishi Arkan moved closer, eyes locked on Shaurya. "Child," he said, his voice now respectful, "you are destined for more than this village. Join me. The Dream Hall will guide your growth."
Shaurya bowed politely. "I thank you, Master Rishi. But before I choose a path, I must first finish my schooling."
The Rishi paused, surprised — perhaps even impressed. Then he reached into his sleeve and pulled out a silver token shaped like a dragon's eye.
"Take this," he said. "When you're ready, come to the gates of Dragon School. Present this to the gatekeeper. You will be expected."
Shaurya accepted it with both hands.
A few of the villagers cheered. Some looked on with awe. Others whispered with envy.
As Shaurya walked back home, he felt the hidden hammer hum softly beneath his skin. It hadn't revealed itself… but it would, in time.
Three spirits… and one body to carry them. My journey has just begun.
At home, his father Shiva snored lightly, sprawled on a wooden cot, a clay bottle of brew still in his hand. Shaurya stepped into the small kitchen, stirring the pot of lentils he had left earlier. The smell grounded him.
His life here wasn't perfect. But it was his.
He looked down at the dragon-shaped token, then toward the horizon beyond the village fields.
Dragon School. Twin spirits. And a third hidden. Let's see where this path leads.
That night, as he lay down to sleep, he heard a soft voice in the back of his mind — not a spirit… but himself.
"This is the world I once dreamed of. Now, it's the world I must survive."