He quickly ate two, saving the third. The effect was almost immediate. Heat spread outward from his stomach. A faint pressure built beneath his skin, and he felt the strain in his shoulders and forearms begin to ease. The smaller cuts along his knuckles and ribs, injuries he had ignored during the hunt, started to close subtly, the raw sting dulling as the skin tightened.
As his soul circuit circulated through the Ember Seed, the warmth seemed to deepen rather than fade.
The ember at its center burned slightly brighter, and the heat in his muscles intensified. He flexed his fingers and rolled his shoulders. The soreness remained, yet it no longer felt limiting. His muscles carried a low, controlled heat, as though they had been reinforced from within.
He started training again. This time by plucking a leaf from the tree.
