Marc will train constantly with his lightsaber, working tirelessly to improve his skill in Lightsaber combat. Hopefully, his efforts pay off. Marc also studies hand-to-hand combat every morning, going through the ancient Taras Kasi forms each morning and practicing Kata forms against practice dummies and droid remotes. Each evening, Marc goes to the top of the temple and meditates, drawing power through on the Force and with the help of the three holocron personalities and the aid of Hethan Romund, attempting to unlock the power of the two Bardottan Spheres that his mother had infused into him so he can access them. In order to be able to access the spheres, the holocrons encourage Marc to examine the lives of the insects and birds around him to better understand both them and himself. Marc learns to slip into the minds of the small creatures and understand how they think and live, riding along in their minds to learn about them and watching over them, guiding them around danger, experiencing their failures and triumphs with them. He opens his mind to the way other beings think and view their world and in so doing, is finally able to access the spheres infused into his spirit.
After successfully unlocking the ability to draw on the two Bardottan Spheres within himself Marc takes a sabbatical to Cloud City upon the advice of Hethan Romund. While in the underground of Cloud City, Marc rescues a Jerethian Clamberwolf native to Jereth VI named Bendak Starkiller from the fighting pits where he has been forced to fight to all manner of creatures and even other humanoids so his captors can make money from him. Bendak has been genetically modified by his captors since they don't want to lose their investment, most notably by nanites which increase the Clamberwolf's Brawn and give him Regeneration so that he is not as likely to die. Marc empathizes with Bendak Starkiller's plight and frees him from the fighting pits. Both Bendak and Marc are badly wounded in a vicious battle with the slavers as they attempt to flee Cloud City. Marc does not want to draw attention to himself, so he had left his lightsaber on board the ship and is forced to fight with blasters and his hands and feet. By the end of the battle, both Bendak is badly wounded and Marc is dying, bleeding out from an awful wound in his back from a Vibro Axe. Bendak has been wounded as well and is bleeding profusely. He crawls onto Marc and through the Animal Bond they have formed, Marc knows that Bendak is willing with all of his might for Marc to not die. Their blood is mingled together as they lay there together. A passing thug is tempted to try to steal what he can from Marc but the warning grow from Bendak is enough to send him cowering. Bendak refuses to leave Marc though Marc attempts to urge him to flee and save himself. Marc's last though as he falls asleep is regret that he was not able to save Bendak and get him someplace safe so he can live out his life without having to fight in the pits. Marc awakes the next morning on the dock still yet. A dock worker is yelling to him to "get off the dock, ya lazy bum and take your animal with you"! To Marc's astonishment, his wounds have completely healed. Bendak is also completely recovered. The only evidence of the violent struggle is the torn clothing Marc is wearing and the dried blood on himself and Bendak. The bodies of their assailants have disappeared by some means. Marc wastes no time in boarding the ship with Bendak and getting away from Cloud City. He takes a long and circuitous route back to the planet where his friends and the Temple are. During the trip, Marc examines himself and discovers that there is not even a scar where what should have have been his death wound from the Vibro Axe had struck him. Marc feels a sense of smugness from Bendak through their bond. He turns and looks at the clamberwolf curiously. On impulse, Marc picks up a kitchen knife and holds it to his wrist. He feels a calm reassurance from Bendak through their bond. Marc slashes his arm violently. Blood streams from the cut at first and pain flashes through his arm as it were a normal wound but in mere seconds the cut has closed and it heals rapidly even as he watches it in disbelief. It's not something through the Force, he can tell that. Somehow, Bendak Starkiller, the unstoppable champion of the fighting pits has managed to share his healing Nanites with Marc. Whether it's a byproduct of the Bond, or what, Marc does not know but he appreciates the implications. He feels good, really, really good. Additionally, he feels stronger and more agile. He breathes in the air slowly and feels Bendak through the Bond they share. For the first time in a long time, Marc feels like he is not alone. Bendak is with him and they are brothers now. Now, and for as long as they both live.