Peb talked to Jon for a bit more, asking him various questions, and getting some more clarity on the world and how it works. For example, Jon told Peb about how society functions in his village, how adults work and provide for their families, while children go to school and play until they grow up and become the adults themselves.
Jon also explained that some people kill wild animals. He explained that they are called hunters, and that they would bring back the meat as food for their families or to sell to others in the village.
When Peb heard this, he excitedly asked "so these hunters are very powerful, right? I saw one kill a wild animal with a single punch!"
Jon seemed confused for a moment, and then seemingly realized something before saying "well, the hunters are strong, but none of them can fight a wild animal without weapons. You probably got to see a transcendent! You're so lucky! I've always wanted to see one!"
Peb, puzzled, asked "what is a transcendent? He looked the same as a human?"
Jon laughed "transcendents are humans, just that they absorb energy from the world and evolve to become more physically powerful. They still look like regular humans though. I want to transcend someday, so I learned a special breathing method that lets me absorb some energy from the air. If I put enough time and effort into it, my parents say that maybe in a few years I'll qualify to go to a school that trains people to become transcendents."
"Are only humans able to absorb energy from the world and transcend? Or can other beings do that as well?" asked Peb, starting to get excited by the concept, and thinking that maybe by evolving into a transcendent he would be able to evolve and grow legs so that he can move around.
"I think some animals are able to absorb energy too. I've heard people saying something about 'transcendent beasts' but I've never seen any" said Jon.
"What about rocks or pebbles? Can they absorb energy too?" asked Peb.
Jon, with tears of laughter in his eyes, said "you're so funny! How would a rock want to cultivate? Rocks can't do things - they're just... well, they're just rocks!"
Peb was shocked. He thought that all the pebbles and rocks in the world had a mind like him and could think and act. But it turns out that he is unique. He realized that he needs to keep his identity as a pebble a secret so that humans don't start experimenting on him. He had overheard someone once saying that humans like to experiment on things they don't understand, so if anyone had any unique powers they would keep it a secret from others unless they were really powerful and could protect themselves.
However, Peb also developed a keen interest in the concept of absorbing energy from the world. He was sure that this was the way for him to be able to be able to move around and interact with the world. However, Jon's breathing method would be of no use to him, since he didn't have a body and could not breathe. So he asked "can energy only be absorbed through breathing methods like you said, or are there other ways as well?"
Jon thought about it for a moment "well, most people in the village only use the breathing methods, but I've heard that there are other methods. There is one guy in the village who absorbs energy by eating food. He just eats all day, and he says that he is absorbing the energy from the food itself."
Peb thought about this. Eating was another method that he couldn't use due to his lack of a digestive system, but if there were different methods, there must be some sort of method that he would be able to use. He just had to work on figuring it out.
"By the way" said Jon, "how come I can't see you? Where are you?"
"I'm in a type of situation where I can't be seen for now, but hopefully soon I'll be able to change that" said Peb.
"Oh okay. Well it was nice meeting you. Maybe I'll come back and you can ask me funny questions again another time" said Jon.
"Okay. Thank you" said Peb.
Watching Jon run back to play with his friends. Peb strengthened his mindset, and affirmed to himself:
"I will become a transcendent pebble!"