His heart grew cold. He could feel the glacial apathy attempting to cover his already scarred heart, its passionless grip almost seizing his pulse.
He wanted to scream. To let it all out.
But he was afraid of the beast he had suppressed within. Playing with fire was a dangerous affair when you didn't know whether the fuel was water or kerosene.
After a few moments passed, Amaranthus was able to get a hold of his cool once more. He grabbed his belongings and gazed at the giant before heading out.
He couldn't bear to use the corpse of someone he knew as shelter, even if they were only just barely an acquaintance and a mythical creature at that.
As he walked, the bones in the dirt cracked and crunched beneath his weight. The gloominess of the forest returned as he left the bald spot where the Terrae laid to rest eternally.
The soft breeze moved the branches of the trees. Here and there, he'd hear the sound of scurrying animals or the hiss of snakes.
He stopped abruptly. A sudden epiphany hit him.
'If my mind can govern the world, then why don't I try to make a shelter?' His eyes glittered like the night sky.
'Wait. Last time, spewing out cold air left me half-crippled.' Amaranthus remembered how he had blacked out after conjuring the jetstream of cold air.
'Is there a way to temper my body into being stronger?'
'Could I make a heads-up display like those in video games?'
'Could I make an armor suit?'
'Could I make wings?'
'Could I time travel?'
His thoughts started to wander as he thought of the endless possibilities within this world.
Amaranthus vigilantly looked around him.
He soon spotted a few bushes huddled together; they were incredibly dense.
He moved slowly and started to move the bushes around. After finally making a temporary entryway, he noticed that there wasn't anything within the bald spot, so he moved in. He quickly set up camp by hanging the thermal layer around him and extending his blankets.
After making his little shelter, he closed his eyes and slowly tried to calm his mind while lying down.
'Since I'm too weak to easily manifest or conjure up stuff, maybe I should start with strengthening my body?' With that thought process, his mind naturally began to contemplate every possible option.
Removing the body's mental limiters? 'No, that would only be physical.'
Maybe creating something like a mana core? 'Wait, how does this stuff work? Do I have to be detailed or vague?' With no guidance, no limits becomes a burden.
'Let's just go with details. I'd imagine that'd be the safest bet, no?' Amaranthus frowned slightly; he imagined all of his cells, various aspects and features.
Then he imagined how the cells turned the formless energy into fuel—slowly turning that concept into producers, amplifiers, and containers for the formless energy.
As he started, he felt his body heating up. At first, it was slow, but the longer he held the concept in his head, the more details he added and the more the drain and heat would increase.
The formless energy vibrated around Amaranthus, changing the cell structures. Eventually, he grew so exhausted that he passed out.
It couldn't be helped. To make money, you need capital. In Amaranthus's case, he had very little fortune.
A few hours later, he awoke with a throbbing headache.
"Ughhh," He groaned in pain. He looked around and noticed that the little shelter he had made was still the same.
For a moment, he felt like he was back on earth, camping. He had only taken a few trips throughout his life, but only when he absolutely needed a fresh breath of silence.
Leading the Unfading Heart Faction took up a lot of brainpower, time, and energy. Something that was extremely scarce.
Amaranthus started to pay attention to his body, which felt... Unrestrained? As he tried to understand why this feeling came to him, the formless energy distorted around his head and rippled out into his body.
An image suddenly popped up in his head, like an intrusive thought. But unlike those dark ones which persisted with irritating conviction, this was precisely what he needed.
Because the concept and picture showed him how his cells behaved like vortexes. Siphoning the formless energy from reality and into his body, slowly nourishing it.
The changes were so subtle he couldn't have discovered them by himself.
Suppose the capacity he had could be considered one hundred. Then it increased at the rate of about one-thousandth of a percent.
'Since passing out only warrants a throbbing headache that fades within an hour, I'll keep pushing.'
Thus, Amaranthus imagined the cells and the tiny vortex at the center. He then willed for the speed to increase and for the capacity to compress slightly.
Within a few seconds, he passed out. It seemed this time he bit off way more than he could chew.
The formless energy distorted around his body, behaving almost like a cocoon. The sound of nature could no longer be perceived.
His body slowly started to turn blue, but patches of skin would turn back to normal for a few seconds before succumbing to the blue once more. This process repeated itself continuously.