After witnessing the sculpture shatter, Amaranthus's vision shook intensely. The world resumed its normal speed.
*Boom*
A sonic boom exploded out, shooting the shattered pieces of ice everywhere, almost like a makeshift grenade!
"Wait!‐" Amaranthus was sent flying, destroying several more trees in the process.
After his momentum was spent, he lay on the ground, looking up at the canopy of the forest trees. His body was bruised and covered in cuts from the sharp ice shards that brushed against his skin.
"How could I have forgotten something like that.." He was both embarrassed and angry at himself.
All the movies made it seem like the consequences of super speed were negligible.
Amaranthus dusted himself off and limped back towards his makeshift campsite. Along the way, he continued observing his surroundings.
It seemed that with the arrival of powerful enemies, sounds were suppressed. It was a sort of gradual loss of sound, or else the feeling of your ears being muffled would be too obvious, but it was unsettling nonetheless.
The process could be likened to the frog inside a pot, which slowly increased in temperature over time, all while the frog failed to realize the life-threatening situation.
The forest was still dark and the soil was still damp; filled with bones of creatures both big and small. With no natural indicators of time, the forest became that many times more gloomy.
It was eerie just how consistent the forest was even though he had just gone through two large battles. Trees were uplifted, broken, and split apart. Yet the wood was the same dark rotten brown as the bark. The dirt, even after meters of it were sent everywhere was still the same old dirt. The only difference was the large holes that littered the ground.
After entering his little camp he laid down, thinking about the fight that occurred earlier.
'I get too anxious during a fight and it makes me clumsy, even a bit out of control. I gotta remember to root myself during a battle or else the next time I make a mistake I'll end up paying for it with my life.' As he reflected, he thought of ways to improve, and what to do if he were faced with the same situation.
'This time, my new ability of super speed saved me, else that punch the sadistic creature was gonna hit me with would've been the end of me.'
Once done with his thoughts, he began to actively control the Vortexes in his body. With his newfound control, he realized he could compress the energy almost endlessly. The saturation would also be safe. Unlike before, where the vortexes would simply suck in as much energy as possible, he could now focus on the quality. Easily achieving his goal of strengthening his body in the process.
Four hours later, Amaranthus awoke from his meditation.
'Alright, it's time to move. It's clear to me there is something out there hunting us earthlings, or at the very least, me.' Amaranthus began to pack up.
'The ramblings of the dying man who returned to earth are starting to come together. This is a new world. And many of us will end up having to live in it alone, so it seems.'
After he finished packing up, he cautiously left his little bush. As he looked around, he noticed that the little critters were also roaming around. But he could vividly remember there being no other creatures during the fight.
'Do powerful creatures also deter weaker creatures?' After that passing thought, he started jogging in a random direction.
'Two fights have happened too close and too near each other, if the other side isn't a fool with shit between their ears then it will most likely send out a scouting party to assess the situation. I need leave.'
'Since my regeneration has increased, I should see if I can control my super speed. That way I'm draining and recovering at the same rate.'
He cautiously began to walk in a random direction. He tried to keep his breath quiet. Even with all the critters of the forest making noise, he could still hear his own heartbeat.
After walking for a few kilometers, he started to spot rabbits and deer-like animals. Some of the rabbits glowed green with red eyes. The deerlike animals had six legs and four eyes with their coats shining in various colors.
The more he walked, the livelier the forest became. After walking for a few more hours he found a clearing to rest at. He gathered some branches and dried pine leaves and made a pit in the ground in order to make a fire.
Once he started the fire he kept close to it. The soft and erratic light from the campfire soothed his mind. He hadn't even realized the extent of the effects the forest had on him.
As he rested near the fire, he began to feel anxious so he stood up and unsheathed his Saber.
He could already feel a silent lull muffling his ears. Even as he looked around he could also see the creatures of the forest running.
'I have to run. I'll follow the creatures.' Amaranthus grabbed his backpack in a hurry and began chasing after the fleeing animals.