It has been a week since I woke up in this world, and all I do is work the day away, Ari said to himself. Being a slave to a colony is a lot of work.
I didn't know that ants went through all this without complaining. If only humans worked even half as hard as ants, we would achieve great things, and the world would have been a better place.
"Come on, put your back into it," said an ant to Ari as they struggled with the debris mover. The weight crushed down on his shoulders, his legs trembling as every step sent sharp aches up his spine. Still, he clenched his jaw and shoved with the other ant, the ground trembling beneath their feet.
Their muscles strained, the ground beneath them trembled under the load, but slowly, inch by inch, they forced the debris mover forward. As they finally pushed it out of the colony, they stopped for a minute to catch their breath. Sweat dripped from their faces, their chest contracting as they exhaled heavily, then they turned over the debris mover, emptying the cylindrical load onto the surface.
After a week of living as an ant, I've learned that I'm way stronger than I thought. I'm able to lift weights that are up to a hundred times my own, which is absolutely insane.
"We are done here. Let's get back inside and continue digging," said the slave ant.
"I'll be right there. Just give me another minute or two to catch my breath," said Ari, panting.
"Okay, fine, but hurry it up. I'm sure that you don't want those vine marks on your back," said the slave ant as he left, his voice already distant.
Life here could be way worse, but I'm starting to appreciate the kind of work that ants do each day. It makes me wonder why I hated them in the first place. I mean, they didn't do anything to hurt me, Ari thought as he wiped the sweat from his brow.
Well, I better head back to the mines now. I don't want to get in trouble, Ari reminded himself. He took a step forward but instantly collided with a timid female ant, sending her stumbling to the ground.
"Ouch! That really hurts," said the female ant in pain as she sat on the ground, rubbing her elbow.
"Oh, I'm so sorry. I didn't see you there. Are you alright?" asked Ari quickly, offering his hand to help the female ant up.
"Yes, I'm completely fine. Don't worry," said the female ant as she took his hand, and he pulled her up gently.
As Ari examined her more closely, he noticed something that made him freeze. She had beautiful, delicate wings that shimmered slightly, unlike the other female ants he had met so far.
She has wings. The only ant I've ever seen with wings so far was the Queen, so who exactly is she? Ari wondered, unable to tear his gaze away.
"Um, you are staring at me blankly, and it's really creeping me out," said the female ant, her voice tight with unease.
"Sorry, it's just that you have wings," said Ari, blinking quickly.
"Of course I do. The wings signify that I am royalty."
Wait, so she's royalty. Then that means...
"How dare you put your filthy hand on her! Stay away, you scum!" shouted an ant from behind as he rushed forward and punched Ari in the face with brutal force. Ari's body flew backward, skidding along the ground until he came to a stop several meters away. His head throbbed, vision spinning as he struggled to sit up.
"How dare you touch Princess Tanya, the successor of Queen Celeste, you slave trash. You will pay for that act, you lowly worm. Prepare to die," said the ant, pulling out his stinger, shaped like a long, sharp spear.
"Vladimir, please stop it. It was an accident. He didn't do anything wrong. He accidentally bumped into me and offered to help me up. Nothing else happened, I promise, so please don't hurt him any further," pleaded Princess Tanya, stepping between them with her arms raised.
"You're to blame, Princess Tanya. This wouldn't have happened if you hadn't run off without my permission. That was reckless; something bad could have happened to you."
"I know, I apologize for inconveniencing you," said Princess Tanya, lowering her head in shame, her voice quiet.
"Your Highness, the Queen ordered me to protect you and act as your bodyguard ever since the day after the great war. Do you remember?" asked Vladimir, his stern gaze softening just a fraction.
"Yes, I do remember every bit of it. Whenever I'm reminiscing about the past, there is no memory without you in it, watching over me and ensuring that I'm safe," said Princess Tanya, her voice carrying a trace of warmth.
"I'm glad that you understand. My duty is to keep you safe, and I shall do so. So please refrain from doing anything stupid; you're this colony's future, after all. Now let's go; time is of the essence," said Vladimir firmly.
As Princess Tanya turned to leave, she glanced at Ari. For a brief moment, he caught something in her eyes—a flicker of sadness, maybe even helplessness. Then she turned away, walking after Vladimir.
"I'll be sure to punish you properly after my meeting tomorrow night," Vladimir called back, his voice dripping with disdain as he shot Ari a final glare before disappearing down the path.
So she's the next successor, the soon-to-be ruler of this colony, Ari thought as he slowly picked himself up from the ground, wincing as he clutched his bruised jaw. That Vladimir guy is really strong; he sent me flying with just one punch. What's with that bastard anyway, attacking me for no reason at all? Even if I escape getting beaten to a pulp by dying, it seems like I can't escape it even then, Ari sighed.
Also, I can't put my finger on it, but the Princess didn't seem too happy in that moment, he thought as he looked back to where she had gone. She didn't look like she wanted to be there. Wait a minute, I wasted so much time up here that I forgot about my shift! Ari panicked and sprinted back down into the tunnels to resume digging, desperate to avoid further punishment.
After barely escaping Vladimir's wrath, Ari dragged his sore body back to the mines, racing to make up for lost time. Hours passed in brutal, numbing labor before he finally stumbled toward where he should receive his one and only meal for the day.
"I'm sorry, but that's all the food that we can give out of the storage today," said a Warden, blocking his path with a hardened expression.
"But there's a whole lot right there outside the storage. What do you mean by 'that's all'?" asked Ari, gesturing to the visible stacks of food just beyond reach.
"The food you're looking at right now is for the worker ants after they have done their work. There is none left for you."
"I worked my full eight hours, so don't tell me that I can't get my share, or we are definitely going to have a problem," said Ari, his tone sharp, the frustration boiling over.
"You dare to threaten me? For that, you will receive no food for a week."
"What? But that's so unfair!"
"That's enough, Ari. Nothing you say will convince him to give you food. Anything you say or do will just make things worse, so just let it go. Come with me," said Evelyn, appearing at his side and gently pulling him away.
As Ari slumped to the ground in defeat, Evelyn handed him half of her food and water without a word.
"I thought that you had already eaten."
"Well, I should have finished, but then I overheard an ant named Vladimir telling the Warden not to give you any food," said Evelyn, her voice laced with quiet anger.
"So this was all Vladimir's doing, that bastard."
"Yes, however, there is nothing that we can do about it."
"Thank you for the food," said Ari, his voice softening as he dug in, grateful for every bite.
"It's the least I can do. I mean, you did save my grandpa's life."
"That's right. How's he holding up these days?" asked Ari, looking up between mouthfuls.
"He's doing much better now, and he got back to working."
"I see, that's incredible news."
"Listen, I don't know what you did to get on Vladimir's bad side, but I'd be careful if I were you. Vladimir is no ordinary ant."
"What do you mean by that?" asked Ari, his curiosity piqued.
"Before he was the full-fledged bodyguard to Princess Tanya, he was actually the strongest military ant in this colony, which made him second in command and the right-hand man of the Queen. When Tanya was young, the Queen tasked him with the duty to watch over her, which he gladly took, leaving his role as the mightiest soldier."
"How do you know all this?" asked Ari, leaning in slightly.
"All the prisoners talk. I just sit back and listen to their stories," said Evelyn, a faint smile tugging at her lips as she folded her arms.