The group of thirty ants ran through the dense forest. They moved between thick trees and low branches, their steps steady on the ground.
After leaving the forest, they crossed a wide plain. The land stretched out around them before the terrain slowly became rocky and uneven. They kept moving forward without stopping. Nights passed, and then days followed.
"Uuuh…"
Isla groaned. Her chest rose and fell in uneven breaths as she slowed, her legs starting to wobble.
"I'm so tired… We've been running forever. This is really tough. How are we supposed to keep this up for seven days straight?"
Lancelot's footsteps hit the dirt in a steady rhythm as he matched her pace.
"Quit complaining, Isla. You can't give up now. We're already three and a half days in. You made it this far, so don't stop on me now."
"Easy for you to say," she gasped.
Sweat ran into her eyes, and she wiped it away with the back of her hand. Her legs felt heavier with each step.
"You were training to be a warden. I don't have any combat training at all."
Her voice came out a little high.
"If we stop now, we'll never make it back in time," Lancelot said, glancing at the sun sinking behind the treeline. "Remember, we've got a strict time limit."
Up ahead, the air rushed past Ari's face, carrying the sharp scent of grass and earth. His limbs moved with ease, his feet barely touching the ground.
My endurance as an ant is way beyond anything I could've done as a human.
Back then, I was always the slowest. Always the weakest. Now… I feel like I could run forever.
"Hey, Ari, slow down!"
Lancelot called, his voice cutting through the rustle of leaves.
"Don't forget, we're traveling as a squad. We can't afford to separate."
Isla blinked rapidly, sweat clinging to her forehead as she tried to match Ari's stride.
"Wow… he's really fast for an ant with no training."
She stumbled over a root, then caught herself.
"He might even be faster than most lance corporals."
A hint of admiration slipped into her voice despite her exhaustion.
"I'm not losing to him," Lancelot said, picking up his pace.
"Hey, Lancelot… what… happened to sticking together?"
Isla said, her breath short as she tried to reach out to him.
Far away, in her private chamber deep within the colony, Princess Emilia sat alone. The cool stone beneath her fingers kept her steady as the weight of her thoughts pressed down on her.
Her eyes rested on a small wooden carving Aixen had given her years ago. Its smooth edges were worn from how often she had handled it.
I'm still at a loss for words.
Her fingers traced the carving, feeling the grooves in its design.
Aixen was like a father to me. He made me smile… laugh… feel safe. I trusted him with everything. But he betrayed me. He betrayed the colony. Everything he did… all the memories we shared… were they all lies?
Tears pricked at the corners of her eyes. She blinked rapidly, forcing them back, but the ache remained.
If I hadn't given Ari the chance to explain himself… if I hadn't smuggled him out of his cell and past the wardens… we would all be dead now. I said such horrible things to him, thinking he was the enemy… but he saved us all. Instead of taking the chance at freedom, he chose to stay and fight for our colony.
She lay back against the stone wall, feeling its cold firmness press into her spine. The distant hum of the colony felt muted, almost irrelevant.
I still can't shake these thoughts. I'm too weak. I'm still stuck on the past while he has to face whatever is out there beyond the colony. Ari's out there now, facing threats I can't even imagine. Please… hurry and get stronger. And be careful.
"I can't go on anymore," Isla panted, her legs trembling beneath her. Sweat drip into her eyes, and her vision blurred from exhaustion. "We've been at this for days… How much time have we used up so far?"
Ari's footsteps barely disturbed the ground as he ran beside her. He didn't even seem winded.
"We're about four days and nights in," he said calmly, his voice steady against the rustle of leaves.
"If you knew you couldn't handle being a military ant… you should've stayed in the quarry."
Lancelot's eyes shifted toward her. His head tilted slightly.
"Or kept reaping food for the colony."
"Why you...just shut up, Lancelot!"
Isla's breath hitched. Her cheeks puffed as she tried to steady it. Her foot caught on a root. She lurched forward and slapped a hand against the tree trunk to stop herself.
"I'm doing the best I can here!"
She dragged in a breath, shoulders lifting.
"…I wasn't born strong like you."
Lancelot let out a short chuckle while smirking. He dragged the back of his hand across his brow, brushing away the sweat.
"That's no excuse."
His eyes flicked ahead, then back to her.
"Ari's not built like me… and he's still doing better than everyone else."
Ari slowed his pace, his steps shortening just enough for the others to catch up and fall in beside him. His eyes moved along the trail ahead, steady and focused. The wind brushed past, shifting strands of his hair across his forehead.
He drew a quiet breath.
"Alright… we've covered enough ground."
His gaze stayed forward, scanning.
"Let's find that plant, then we head back."
"Who the hell made you leader?"
One of the ants stepped forward, closing the distance until his body blocked part of Ari's view. His hands tightened around the base of his mandibles, fingers flexing in a slow, deliberate rhythm.
"Don't start giving orders."
He leaned in slightly, his voice dropping.
"You're not one of us."
"Yeah…"
Another ant stepped up beside him, his eyes fixed on Ari.
"You've got the Queen's approval. That doesn't mean anything to us."
"We're not accepting you as part of this colony."
He tilted his head forward a fraction, mandibles shifting just enough to show intent.
"So step back… and leave this to us."
A few of the other squad members shifted, their feet scraping lightly against the dirt. One of them spoke just loud enough to carry.
"Waltzes in from a cell… and gets special treatment."
A brief pause.
"…Must be nice."
Ari didn't answer. His expression stayed still but his fingers trembled slightly at his sides. He clenched his hands, trying to steady them.
A faint sound of laughter passed through his head. Brief. Close. His jaw set.
"Hey!!that was really harsh!"
Isla stepped forward, her voice sharp enough to cut through the quiet. Ari's eyes widened slightly. His attention snapped back to the present. She didn't stop.
"Did you forget he's the one who saved us?"
"Saved us?" the first ant scoffed. "If he hadn't shown up, we wouldn't even be in that situation."
"We've been preparing to defend this colony long before he arrived."
A short pause.
"You think one lucky guess makes him better than the rest of us?"
"It was a large-scale coordinated attack. Our own Captain Aixen betrayed us." Isla said.
She scanned them quickly. "If Ari hadn't warned us… we wouldn't have made it out."
"Say what you want."
He growled, voice low and tense. His jaw tightened.
"This ant is nothing but trouble waiting to happen."
Lancelot stepped between her and the others, his muscular frame cutting off the space. The sudden movement made a few of them hesitate.
"Enough," Lancelot said, voice firm and edged with warning. "We are tired. Time is limited, and we may be in enemy territory."
He held their gaze. "If you want to argue about who belongs, take it to the queen. Out here, there will be no fighting."
A faint rustle reached Ari's antennae. It was subtle, too controlled to be a wandering leaf. He tilted his head, scanning past the trees.
What was that...
His heart beat a little faster.
"Did you hear that, Ari?" Lancelot asked, not looking at him directly.
"Yes," Ari replied quietly, his gaze fixed on the shadows between the trees.
Lancelot's voice hardened. "Stay on guard. Form a circle. Draw your mandibles."
The squad moved at once, though a few were slower, their focus still split between Ari and the surroundings. They took position, mandibles raised and ready. Shoulders were tight, breathing shallow, eyes scanning in quick, sharp shifts.
Then the forest went silent.
A sudden splash of green liquid cut through the air. It arced overhead, catching the light as it spread wide, drawing every eye in an instant.
The acid struck five ants. It sizzled on impact and melted through their exoskeletons. Smoke rose from their bodies as it broke down.
Their screams filled the air, loud and sharp, echoing through the trees. When the liquid got lower and scorched through the earth, only their mandibles remained.
One of the remaining ants, the same one who had snarled at Ari before, stared in shock. His voice shook.
"Impossible… how can we defend against this?"
He turned and ran.
Before he could reach the shadows, another stream of acid struck him. It burned into his exoskeleton on contact, breaking it apart. His body jerked violently as the acid spread, eating through the structure beneath. Smoke rose as his form collapsed into a lifeless heap.
What is happening…
Ari froze. The sharp, acrid smell of burning exoskeletons filled the air. Isla gagged, her breathing unsteady. Her body shook, and she could not move. Her eyes stayed wide, glassy, fixed in terror.
More acid flew toward them, aimed straight at Isla.
"Move."
Ari shouted. He grabbed her and shoved her aside. The acid struck the ground where she had been standing, burning through leaves and soil. It hissed and bubbled as it spread.
They both rolled across the ground. Ari's back hit a tree. He winced and held still for a moment.
"That's acid from an insect. Do not let it touch you or you will die." Ari shouted.
The squad broke formation and scattered in all directions. More acid fell from above, striking ten of them. Their movements stopped as the acid spread across their bodies.
The survivors turned and ran. Within moments, only Ari, Isla, and Lancelot remained.
"Stay close. Do not separate!" Lancelot shouted.
No one listened. They ran.
Laughter echoed through the trees. Three insects with yellowish exoskeletons stepped out of the shadows. Acid seeped from their hands and dripped to the ground.
A termite spoke, voice cold. "Pitiful. Weak insects. Dying without even seeing who killed them."
Another stepped forward, a grin on its face. "They always scatter. It makes them easier to pick off one by one."
What the hell… termites? In our world, their acid only irritates ants. Now it kills instantly.
Ari thought. His hand shook.
What if I had been hit…
Like the ants in this world, the termites had a mix of insect and human features. They stood upright. Their bodies were entirely insect, but shaped in a way that resembled a human stance. Their limbs were jointed and structured like arms and legs.
Their hands, if they could be called that, were clawed but still followed a human-like form. Their exoskeletons were yellow. They appeared softer, but remained dangerous.
"These ones seem to be the cream of the crop. I'll make quick work of them with my acid," another termite mocked.
"Be careful, guys. These are monsters," Lancelot warned. His muscles tensed as he took a stance, sweat dripping from his chin.
There are only three of them, yet they have wiped out so many of us.
"They're strong," Ari muttered.
But I can't give up here. I have to protect Isla and Lancelot.
Ari steadied his breath. His grip tightened on his mandibles.
"Lancelot, Isla, take the one on the left. I'll handle the other two."
"Are you sure you'll be okay, Ari?" Isla asked, trembling, her mandibles quivering in her hands.
"Please don't worry about me. Just focus on surviving. Lancelot, I'm counting on you to protect her."
Ari sprinted toward the two termites as they squirted more acid. His mandibles shifted as he ran, his left-handed grip making the dual weapons feel slightly unsteady as he moved. He adjusted his balance as the spray came in.
One wrong move, and the acid would eat through him in seconds. Timing and positioning were everything.
He weaved through the deadly streams, the sizzling liquid burning through anything it touched. With lightning speed, he closed the distance and slashed one termite cleanly in the chest with Valeria's father's mandibles. The termite fell to the ground lifeless.
They're easier to cut than I thought. Their defense is weak, but their attack is deadly, Ari noted.
Isla clumsily swung her mandibles, serving as a decoy while Lancelot circled the termite. The termite spat acid at him, but he dodged and struck its neck with all his might, severing its head in a powerful blow.
"Damn you, ants! You killed my brother! You'll pay for this!" the last termite roared, unleashing a barrage of acid at Ari.
Ari darted through the assault, the air sizzling around him. The termite's frustration mounted.
"What the hell is he? Why is he so fast? It's not possible!"
After narrowly dodging a particularly vicious stream, Ari lunged and stabbed the termite's stomach. The termite screamed as green acid gushed from the wound, burning through the earth.
"This isn't over! I'll find you! I'll kill every last one of you and your colony!" the termite snarled before fleeing, his movements desperate and erratic.
Ari remained poised, mandibles raised, watching until the termite disappeared. The forest grew silent once more, save for Isla's ragged breathing.