The first moon was rising in the sky as Myrkas lay unmoving on the training grounds. The boy had exhausted every ounce of energy he once possessed. He had no clue how he would get home, half convinced his Master would let him sleep right where he had collapsed before starting all over again at first light the next morning.

  Staying awake in and of itself was difficult. Snow urged him to move, cutely rubbing her nose against his smooth cheek. The boy could see the open pity in her light pink eyes. Pitied by his pet rabbit—sorry, his respected senior Martial sister. Myrkas had fallen so low, literally and figuratively. The princely golden not-bastard did not have to suffer such insults, certainly. Another reason to be pissed at him. It still felt great to have a convenient scapegoat when his anger rose in his belly.

  Myrkas sighed at the end of his inner rant. He gave up on moving. This training compound should be safe enough to spend the night. Nirsa would maybe understand. At worst Ranil would get a lecture. Maybe that was for the best. Force the man to review his training program. And entertain Myrkas at the same time. Seeing his Master in hot water would be a balm on Myrkas' spirit. A warranted retribution.

  The boy was already half-asleep when two pairs of hands grabbed his wrists and ankles. His body then lifted from the ground, suspended by his tired limbs. Through half-opened eyes, Myrkas glimpsed Rivak holding his ankles. He assumed Yue was the one in charge of his wrists.

  "Where to Sir? "Rivak asked.

  "The baths," Ranil answered. "Dump him in the Teal pool."

  "Are you certain, Sir? That one is quite harsh."

  "That's Koriss Hakhmir's nephew and alchemy apprentice. He'll handle the Teal pool even if half-asleep if he has any desire to maintain any kind of face. Get him home once he's coherent. The rabbit as well."

  The baths again. Good news at last. He could survive the baths. Not drowning was a worthy and achievable goal. The Teal pool would not be that bad. The boy's guts told him. His homemade bloodbath had been worse than anything present in that building, Myrkas was convinced. His honour would stay intact, he promised himself.

  The two teens carried Myrkas' dead weight without complaint. They undressed and rinsed the boy quickly, with the concerned tween having no strength left to protest.

  Then, as ordered, they promptly dumped Myrkas into the Teal pool. This particular bath was so named for its characteristic and eponymous hue. The vapours rising above it gave a sharp scent, with a hint of citrus to it. This receded pool was smaller than the others found around, barely big enough to accommodate two or three grown men, depending on their level of comfort with one another.

  "Do you think we should dip in with him? Make sure he doesn't drown," Yue asked his long-time friend.

  "Are you crazy bro? That pool is reserved for officers for a reason. The Qi is too harsh, way too aggressive for newbies like us. We'll keep watch from the light blue one and trust that Lieutenant Ranil won't kill his very own disciple. And don't you dare mention the rabbit. Rabbits can swim. She is perfectly fine where she is on the stairs. Lieutenant said to put her in the bath, she is in the bath, we don't need to do anything further. If she dies it's his problem not ours, see? The kid's nose is back out, everything is fine."

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  Myrkas heard two dampened splashes before the room fell back into silence. He floated peacefully in the warm waters. The healing liquid gently flowed about his limbs, cradling his battered body.

  The boy's tired mind valsed from one idea to the next. He was too drained to think deeply about anything. All he focused on was to breathe and float, on doing the best starfish impression he could.

  The water's Qi rose, as if awakened, and went to work. The energies that reached Myrkas' skin were the most aggressive he had been exposed to that day. The boy immediately understood why the two teens had preferred to leave him alone in this pool. The sensation this Qi inflicted was not exactly pleasant. But it was almost comforting with its familiarity. Indeed, it appeared the secret of the teal pool's potency lay in its hint of Piercing Jade Grass Essence. A baby dose to say the least. Just a touch to help the ever-present Soothing Seaweed Qi penetrate deeper into hurt flesh.

  Myrkas basked in it. The green devil's Qi prickled more than hurt him. It was nothing compared to his own "enhanced" medicinal baths. The tiny needles of green Qi pierced no deeper than his most superficial muscle layers. A few drops of blood might escape here and there but nothing significant. The boy even suspected the blood to come from his numerous bruises rather than to be a direct consequence of the Jade Grass Qi's breach of his natural barriers. The minuscule holes allowed the deeper blue soothing energies to penetrate easily.

  The overall effect was blissful. Whatever else his uncle had added to the mix was working its magic. Myrkas felt the lactic acid being broken down and flushed out. He saw muscular micro tears and bony micro-fractures repaired in minutes. He sensed his body temperature coming down to normal, non-inflammatory levels. An amazing experience. Ten out of ten would recommend to a friend.

  So blissful Myrkas let himself become engrossed in his starfish impression. He was the best starfish. So good, that all four-year-old beginner swimmers should strive to emulate him. He floated perfected, a gold-star kind of starfish.

  Weren't starfish also known for their regenerative properties? Myrkas thought so. He was actually pretty convinced. The idea rang a very large bell, The kind that needed three people to manually ring it. At worst, there most likely existed a sort of super-healing magic starfish in this universe. Most probable.

  Deciding to roll with it, Myrkas added his reliable mantra to his sea-life mimicry. He was the... hardest starfish? That did not fit well. Starfish were not hard per se. They had little spikes for defence of course, but not something one would truly call "hard." And the boy did not wish to grow spikes. Who knew how cultivation could change him? He liked hugs from certain, select people. Hurting them with spikes growing out of his skin was not part of his plans.

  Something else then, another concept to fold into his meditation. If this particular star-shaped animal recovered and regrew so well, it was for the explicit goal of survival. An ability developed to become able to survive almost anything, ensuring the individual starfish could start over again once safe. It made them the "hardest" survivors!

  Good enough for the moment. Better was easy. Myrkas embraced being a starfish. He extended his limbs as far as he could, pushing his belly slightly above water. He embodied the best starfish, an exemplar starfish. The very best regenerative starfish. A brilliant one!

  It recovered faster. Wounds would close under Myrkas eyes. Blood would stop flowing under a minute even for big cuts. The boy would be able to regrow his limbs before a carver had time to sculpt him a pegleg. Or a smith to forge him a hook. Especially while surrounded by water and seaweed, the home of the starfish.

  Finally, everything Myrkas would regrow would become stronger than ever. Grow from his injuries. Learn from his mistakes. Start anew but with old knowledge. Be ready to overcome what hurt him before. Each wound would become an opportunity to reforge his body. He would survive, recover, and grow stronger. Always.

  To ever transform into a better version of himself.