My lungs burned. I gasped for air, but I could not stop yet. In each of my hands was a long stick. The rough bark bit into my hands as I swung each stick through the familiar motions. My arms muscles seared with pain as I pushed my body past its limits.

  Finally, I could not take any more. I collapsed into the damp grass. Lying on my back, I looked up at the moon hanging in the night sky. The stars glittered against the empty blackness. Insects chirped endlessly through the night.

  My breathing began to stabilize. I felt tearing pain through every part of my pathetic body. Green flames engulfed me, as I closed my eyes. I felt the green flames seep into my body. I carefully examined every muscle, tendon, and bone. The flames moved through each location. It healed every torn and worn-out muscle it touched. My blood flowed more easily. Even my skin was clearer, as any filth was burned away.

  As the flame burned through my body, it began to shrink and grow dim. Once it passed through the final part of my body, it petered out completely and disappeared. With the flame gone, an insatiable hunger consumed me.

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  I opened my eyes with a smile. Success. Looking up at the stars now, I could see something else mixed with the air. For me, it appeared to be a purple mist that existed everywhere, but I knew that was just my mind trying to comprehend what it was seeing. The purple mist was truly universal. It existed high in the sky, deep underground, and inside every living thing. It existed everywhere, except within me.

  I took a deep breath. The purple mist converged on my body, gathering around me. Minutes passed as the mist gathered inside my body. From the mists, a new green flame was born.

  Hours passed. I continued to breathe in the mist. The flames grew until finally, I was full. Green flames filled every part of my body once again. In fact, the flames were slightly stronger than they were before I emptied myself out. Just the smallest sliver bigger than before.

  Sneaking through the woods, and back into my house, I was careful not to wake anyone. Only once I made it back to my room did I smile happily. This was the first step to regaining my former power.