The trees were the first to reappear. The shallow red waters came next, their level gradually increasing until they reached Liam's knees.
At last, a tense silence unfolded, finally putting an end to Liam's heated escape. He was reluctant to interrupt the training that accompanied his run, but his safety had to come first.
Liam checked his surroundings. Leafless trees surrounded him in every direction, water hid the muddy ground, Qi permeated the area, and the eerie stench of blood had only grown more intense.
However, Liam soon disregarded all that to check the sky. It was still morning, just not as early anymore. He had run for a while, enough to leave the areas previously occupied by the magical beasts, but the tense silence marked the end of that safe path.
