Yanlu stared, wide-eyed, at the creature hovering before her. The bee—if it could still be called that—was massive, its golden wings thrumming with power, each beat stirring the air like a living storm. The glint of its stinger was long enough to pierce through armor.
"This…?" she breathed, unable to find words. "This thing just—grew?"
"Impressive, isn't it?" Alina said softly, her pink eyes bright with childlike wonder. "That's Luciel's ability. You'll get used to seeing impossible things around here."
Yanlu blinked, half in awe, half in disbelief. "Used to it? I doubt I ever will."
Luciel stood beside the open window, watching the Queen Bee's wings shimmer in the sunlight. "Go," he said calmly. "There's a cliff on the far side of the turtle's shell—build your hive there."
The golden creature hummed once, a resonant sound that vibrated through the study, then darted out the window in a blur of light. The air trembled in her wake.
