Dee pointed to a set of stairs, sitting just inside the front door and to the right, that led up to the second floor. Once they got up to the top, Xan quickly saw that there was a long hallway stretching the entire length of the inn, with numbered doors appearing at intervals on either side. Brightly lit candles hung on the walls in between the doors.

Xan followed Dee down the length of the hallway to the last set of doors. Dee moved towards the one on the left.

“There are two washrooms here. I’ll take this one, you can take that one,” she said, pointing at the other door on the right. “See you in a bit.”

Then she ducked into the left washroom. The door closed with a soft click. Without knowing what else to do, Xan entered the washroom on the right.

The room was a fairly standard washroom, with a metal bathing tub and a pitcher and basin that sat to his left on a small table, underneath a simple, oval-shaped mirror. It was also well-lit, with light coming from the glass window on the wall opposite the door. Curious, Xan went over to the window and looked out.

Behind the inn he could see several raised garden boxes full of dirt, and just beyond that was a small shed-like building that served as the stables. Taika was there, tending to her horse. He could tell that she was talking to it as she went about filling up a bucket of feed, although he couldn’t hear her through the glass. The stray dog was lying down a few feet away, its head on its paws.

Suddenly, Shadow appeared on the roof of the stables. She scrambled a moment as she fought to find her footing. Then she carefully crept to the edge of the roof, peeking her little head over to look at Taika down below.

The sudden flicker of movement caught the dog’s attention. It raised its head and barked once at Shadow, who ducked back onto the roof again. Taika quickly scolded the dog, who reluctantly went back to lying down.

Then Taika called up to Shadow, raising her arm to beckon the silver weasel down. Shadow peeked over the edge of the roof again, but refused to move any further. With a shrug, Taika turned her attention back to her horse. A moment later, Sage touched down onto the stable roof as well, far and away from where Shadow was. The two of them eyed each other suspiciously, but for the moment seemed content to just leave it at that.

Xan caught himself chuckling as he watched. Suddenly feeling self-conscious, he turned away from the window. He removed his cap and gloves. He took off his coat and his light leather shirt. Then he grabbed the pitcher and poured some water out into the basin.

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The water was cold as he washed his face. Then he washed his hair, feeling the water trickle down the back of his neck. He went to wipe it off and realized he was still wearing the crystal pendant.

He reached down to grab the Spirit Sang crystal and held it up. The spherical purple crystal looked just the same as it did back in the Ignas Verdan village, sparkling like it was full of stars. He admired it for a moment. Then he closed his eyes and concentrated. When he opened them a moment later, he was greeted by the sight of his reflection in the mirror – only this time, he could see the tiny star that was his own soul shining back at him too.

A quick glance around the room told him what he already suspected. He could still see the shining stars of all of the souls around him, even through the floors and walls of the inn. It was a familiar sight by now, but even so, it filled him with frustration.

Ever since the Wild Spirit Jutha had taught him how to start feeling the flow of Ru, he had been diligently meditating every day just as the silver tortoise had instructed. Though it had only been a few days since then, he was already starting to recognize the warm burning in his being that was the core of his soul, and a couple of times he had even managed to sense the surge of energy that pulsed out of it. But despite this progress, he was still unable to see the flow of Ru around him whenever he used Astral Sight.

With a frustrated sigh, he let go of the crystal and let his Astral Sight fade away. Then he looked back up at his reflection in the mirror. With a sudden moment of clarity, he realized just how haggard he was. His ordeals since the shipwreck had left his physique leaner than usual, and his face had a bit of a sunken look. His scraggly red hair was now long enough that it got into his eyes, and the scruffy patches on his chin and cheeks left much to be desired.

He turned his face from side to side, rubbing a hand over his scruff and thinking what he wouldn’t give for a razor. Then he let his hand fall, his gaze falling with it till locked onto the scar across his chest.

It wasn’t uncommon for sailors to earn a few scars during their sailing careers, but this one always stood out to Xan no matter how much he tried to ignore it, mostly because of its unnatural turquoise color. It started down low on his left ribs and went up diagonally across his chest to his right shoulder.

He gently traced it with a finger, thinking back to the fight that had won him that scar. It had been shortly after he started sailing on the Astaria, when he was still just a boy. Their ship had been attacked by pirates, and despite their best efforts to escape, the pirates had boarded their ship. In a move that was both desperate and reckless, he had challenged the pirate captain to a fight. She had easily overpowered him, and he would have died were it not for the timely intervention of an Aquarian woman.

Xan frowned at the memory. It used to be that the sight of his scar filled him with disgust and shame. It served as quite a vivid reminder, after all. But now, several years later, those feelings had begun to fade. In fact, he couldn’t really remember the last time he had paid this much attention to it.

He shook his head to clear his mind. Then he bent down to retrieve his shirt from the floor. As he stood up, the crystal pendant caught on the edge of the table and broke. The Spirit Sang fell out of its setting and rolled away under the tub.