Beatrice finished treating the injured Butterfly's wounds, wrapping each sap-covered injury with fresh leaves.
I didn't expect those Monarchs to act so... irrational.
Her fingers tightened slightly around the resin bowl before she set it aside and withdrew her hands.
"There. That should suffice for now."
She looked over the bandages one last time.
"Though a full recovery will take weeks, possibly months. Try to rest."
"Thank you," the Butterfly said.
A brief silence settled between them.
"May I... ask who you are?"
"I am Corporal Beatrice."
"I see."
"My name is Garren. I am one of the guardians of our Kaleidoscope."
His gaze shifted toward the chamber's entrance.
"Tell me... when will that ant return? I want to thank him for saving my Monarch."
Beatrice blinked.
"You mean Ari?"
"He's in a meeting at the moment, there hasn't been any alert, so the Monarchs haven't caused any trouble."
She let out a slow breath.
"If things stay that way, you should be seeing him soon."
Garren lowered his head onto the woven leaves.
"That sounds good."
Nova's antennae twitched, her face still hidden beneath the leaf.
So then Ari is still alive... thank goodness.
She slowly looked up at the veins overhead. A faint warmth spread across her cheeks.
It's not like I was worried. Or that I even care about the fool.
I'm just...
A small smile formed on her face.
...glad he survived.
Nytheris pushed himself away from the tunnel wall and started walking.
"Nytheris... where do you think you're going?" one of the Butterfly guards asked.
Nytheris glanced back.
"Isn't it obvious?"
"I refuse to remain in a space this confined. It sickens me how far the Kaleidoscope has fallen. We've become desperate enough to seek aid from these tunnel dwellers."
He clicked his tongue.
"I'll patrol the outer grounds."
Without another word, he continued down the tunnel.
Garren watched the space Nytheris had just left.
Outside the colony, Brooks leaned against a nearby rock.
His eyes drifted toward the moon.
"I didn't get the chance to look at it tonight."
A gentle breeze brushed past him.
"It's a good sight."
He let out a quiet breath.
"The night's been hectic... yet somehow, time still moves slowly."
A dark figure swept over the colony.
Black wings folded, then opened again in controlled bursts.
For a brief moment, a dark exoskeleton caught the moonlight at the peak of the flight.
Then the figure disappeared into the darkness.
Brooks remained in the shadows, the corner of his mouth lifting slightly.
"Well now... would you look at that."
He gave a quiet chuckle.
"Seems my intuition wasn't off after all."
Armored footsteps settled softly behind him.
"What are your orders, Lieutenant?" a soldier asked.
A cloud drifted away from the moon.
Pale light reached the rocky ground, catching a brief glint in Brooks' eyes.
"Follow that Butterfly..."
Back within the grand meeting chamber, Luminara stood before the throne.
Queen Celeste watched her in silence.
"We come from a meadow not far from your colony," Luminara said. "For generations, our Kaleidoscope lived in peace. We tended our fields, gathered nectar, and kept to ourselves."
"Back then, our mother, Monarch Solenne, led us. As for Magnus... he was nothing more than a rumor. A name our guardians would occasionally mention."
Her fingers interlocked.
"If you don't know much about our kind, Butterflies draw their greatest strength from the sun. Daylight empowers us."
"But when night falls... the balance changes."
"The moths become stronger. More aggressive."
Her hands tightened.
"For years, they ambushed our nectar collectors under the cover of darkness. We fought them off every time they came."
She paused.
"Then everything changed."
"They launched a full-scale assault."
"They came for one thing."
"The Moonveil Blossom."
Ignatia's fist tightened at her side.
Ari's antennae shifted toward her before his attention returned to Luminara.
Queen Celeste remained silent for a moment.
"You speak of the Moonveil Blossom as though your Kaleidoscope depends on it," she said. "What exactly is it... and why would the moths risk everything to take it?"
"The Moonveil Blossom bears pale silver-blue petals. At night, it gives off a faint glow," Luminara said.
"More than five centuries ago, thousands of those flowers existed."
She lowered her head.
"Today... only one remains."
A quiet murmur spread through the chamber.
"It is no ordinary flower," Luminara continued. "Once every hundred years, it enters a period of bloom."
"It responds to intent."
Her hands folded calmly before her.
"It can mend severe illness... restore what would otherwise be lost... and grant power."
She paused.
"But it does not answer every wish."
"It responds to what the bearer truly seeks within their heart."
Elder Junon's eyes widened.
"When it awakens, its power is absolute," Luminara said.
Valeria closed her eyes, drawing a slow breath.
"So that flower is the source of the power Magnus seeks," she said. "The means to seize dominion over this region."
Luminara nodded.
"Precisely."
Junon scoffed.
"So we're expected to believe the fate of this entire region rests on a single moth... and a glorified flower?"
His hand cut through the air.
"This insults Her Majesty's judgment. Do not presume to deceive us—"
"Silence, Elder Junon."
Queen Celeste's hand struck the armrest.
The sharp crack echoed through the chamber.
Princess Emilia flinched.
"I do not recall requesting your counsel."
Her gaze settled on him.
"Speak again without my leave... and you will be removed from this colony."
"I offer my apologies, my Queen."
Junon bowed stiffly.
His jaw tightened as he lowered his head.
Around him, the other Elders remained silent.
Queen Celeste looked back toward Luminara.
"Please continue."
Luminara inclined her head.
"The Blossom was guarded by our Kaleidoscope for two centuries. Long before my sisters and I were born, Monarch Solenne kept it hidden."
Her voice softened.
"The first time it bloomed, it was used for the prosperity of this region."
"It brought abundance to the meadows."
"Nectar became plentiful."
"Fruit flourished."
"That was our hope for this century's bloom."
Her expression grew solemn.
"But Magnus learned of its existence."
"He waited until my mother disappeared."
"My sisters and I fought him countless times."
"We drove his forces back again and again using our seer abilities."
"Then... something changed."
"He moved as though he already knew every decision we would make."
Her hands slowly rose.
Her fingers brushed the edge of the green cloth.
The chamber fell silent.
She untied it.
The fabric slipped away.
Princess Emilia covered her mouth.
Sergeant Cassian stared.
Lieutenant Tavian stiffened.
Ari froze.
What... did Magnus do this?
"I lost my sight... to his decay."
Luminara held the cloth quietly in both hands.
Darkened flesh surrounded her ruined eyes.
"It was all part of his plan."
"To weaken us."
,
"And he succeeded."
Ignatia turned away and closed her eyes.
Why did you have to show them, Luminara...
Seraphina remained standing beside her.
Her expression never changed.
Queen Celeste spoke first.
"So... Magnus did this?"
"Yes."
"And he truly possesses the power to inflict such wounds?"
"He does."
"He induces decay through contact with his mandibles."
"My sister tried to restore my sight."
Luminara looked toward Seraphina.
"She could only slow its spread."
Seraphina stepped forward.
She swept her orange hair away from her neck.
Dark decay spread beneath her skin.
"He struck me as well."
"At first... it was only a graze."
Her fingers brushed the mark.
"Now it continues to spread."
Luminara faced the throne once more.
"Magnus is already a tyrant capable of great destruction."
She held Queen Celeste's gaze.
"Tell me... what do you believe will happen if he awakens the Moonveil Blossom already in his possession?"
Queen Celeste answered without hesitation.
"If your words are true... then this colony stands in imminent danger unless we stop him."
A faint smile appeared on Luminara's face.
She tied the green cloth back over her eyes.
"We have only two days left to reclaim the Blossom before he invokes its power."
"Our Kaleidoscope has already paid a terrible price."
She stepped forward.
Then bowed deeply before the throne.
"I ask that your colony stand with us in a temporary alliance until this threat has ended."
"I know the path ahead is dangerous."
"But together..."
"I believe we can overcome him."
"Luminara..."
Ignatia's breath caught.
Seraphina smiled faintly.
"Well... that's a rare sight."
"Seeing Luminara bow to someone."
Tavian folded his arms.
"And once Magnus is defeated?"
"The Moonveil Blossom."
"Do you intend to claim its power for yourselves?"
Before Seraphina could answer, Luminara gently rested a hand on her arm.
"It is true."
"My sisters wished to use the Blossom to restore my sight... and cure this decay."
"But that is no longer our priority."
"I would sooner fade to dust than allow Magnus to succeed."
Queen Celeste studied her for several moments.
Then she nodded.
"You have my respect, Luminara."
"Your resolve honors both you and your Kaleidoscope."
She rose from her throne.
"From this moment forward..."
"A treaty between our colony and their Kaleidoscope is established."
Ari quietly let out the breath he had been holding.
It's been the longest night of my life...
I'm relieved they were able to settle their differences.
So... it finally came to this.
His thoughts drifted from one event to the next.
The earthworms digging through the tunnels.
The centipedes attacking the southern crater.
His first meeting with Ignatia.
The battle against the moths.
The conflict between the colony and the Butterflies.
It's time for us to settle this, once and for all.
Far above the colony, Nytheris glided through the night sky.
Moonlight washed over his dark wings as he soared beyond the treetops.
He angled upward.
Then his eyes narrowed.
Movement.
Several figures raced across the ground below.
Their formation remained steady as they pushed through the undergrowth.
His hand drifted toward the hilt of the whip at his side.
For a brief moment, his grip tightened.
Getting rid of them won't solve anything...
I'll just lose them.
With a sharp beat of his wings, Nytheris accelerated.
The darkness swallowed him.
Within seconds, he vanished completely.
The ant soldiers skidded to a halt beneath the trees.
One scanned the sky.
Another peered into the surrounding shadows.
Nothing.
"Where did he go...?"