"Wow, I already feel like I can't go on much further. I've even lost track of the time. I'm so tired; I feel like taking a nap. This is really tough. How are we supposed to do this for seven days straight?" Isla panted, struggling to keep running, her legs wobbling beneath her.
"Come on, Isla, you can't give up now. We're already three and a half days in. You've made it this far, so don't quit on me now," Rory urged, his voice steady but concerned.
"Easy for you to say. You were training to be a warden. I have zero combat training at all," Isla gasped, her breaths shallow, her legs heavy as stone.
"If we stop now, we'll never make it back in time. Remember, we have a strict time limit," Rory reminded her, his pace unwavering as he ran beside her.
Ari, unlike the others, didn't even feel tired.
My endurance as an ant far exceeds anything I could've achieved when I was human. Back then, I was hopeless in every physical education class—always the slowest, always the weakest. Now, I feel invincible, as if I could run forever, Ari thought as the wind whipped past him, his limbs light, his movements effortless.
"Hey, Ari, slow down! Don't forget we're traveling as a squad. We can't afford to separate," Rory called, his voice carrying through the trees.
"Wow, he's really fast for an ant with no military training. He might even be faster than most corporals," Isla said, a flicker of admiration breaking through her exhaustion.
"Yeah, he's something special. And once he's finished this training, he'll be a powerful ally we can depend on," Rory replied with a rare, genuine smile.
Far away, in her private chamber inside the colony, Princess Tanya sat alone, the weight of her thoughts pressing down on her. Her gaze lingered on a small wooden carving Vladimir had given her years ago.
"I'm still at a loss for words," she whispered to herself. "Vladimir was like a father to me. He made me smile, laugh, and feel safe. I trusted him with all my heart. His soothing words, his constant protection—I believed in him. But he betrayed me. He kidnapped me for ransom. Everything he did, all the memories we made together… were they all lies?"
Her chest tightened as tears pricked her eyes. "If I hadn't given Ari the chance to explain himself, if I hadn't smuggled him out of his cell and past the warden, we would all be dead now. I said such horrible things to him, thinking he was the enemy, but he saved us all. He chose to stay and fight for our colony. He's training now. Please… hurry up and get stronger, Ari. And be careful."
"I can't go on anymore. We've been at this for days. How much time have we used up so far?" Isla panted, her legs trembling, her vision blurring from exhaustion.
"We're about four days and nights in," Ari answered calmly, not even breathing hard.
"If you knew you couldn't handle being a military ant, you should've stayed in the mines or kept reaping food for the colony," Rory teased, smirking.
"Why you—shut up, Rory! I'm doing the best I can here! I wasn't born all buff and strong like you, you know?" Isla huffed, her cheeks puffing out in a pout despite her fatigue.
"That's no excuse. Ari's not as lean as me, and he's doing better than everyone else," Rory shot back, a teasing edge to his tone.
"Alright, we've covered a great distance. Let's search for that plant and head back now," Ari said confidently.
"Who the hell made you leader? Don't you dare boss us around. You're not one of us," an ant snarled, glaring at Ari.
"Yeah, you might have the Queen's approval, but we will never accept you as one of us," another ant added coldly.
"Hey, that was really harsh! Did you forget he was the one who saved us?" Isla snapped, but Rory silenced her with a sharp glance.
"Did you hear that, Ari?" Rory asked, his tone serious.
"Yes, I did," Ari said quietly, his expression unreadable.
"Stay on guard, everyone. Form a circle and draw your mandibles," Rory commanded.
The squad quickly formed up, their mandibles drawn, trembling with the anticipation of danger. The forest fell eerily silent. Then, a green liquid shot into the air, catching everyone's attention.
The acid landed on five ants, instantly sizzling and melting through their exoskeletons. The horrifying sound of flesh dissolving filled the air as smoke rose from their bodies. Their screams pierced the silence, echoing through the trees until only their mandibles remained.
The acrid stench of burning exoskeletons made Isla gag. Her entire body shook as terror rooted her to the spot.
More acid flew toward Ari's direction, aiming straight for the paralyzed Isla.
"Move out of the way!" Ari shouted and shoved Isla aside, the acid splattering on the ground where she'd just stood, burning holes through the leaves and soil.
"That's acid secreted by some insect! Don't let it touch you or you'll die!" Ari yelled.
The squad panicked, scattering in all directions. More acid rained down, claiming ten more ants. The remaining survivors fled, leaving only Ari, Isla, and Rory behind.
"Stay close! Don't separate!" Rory ordered, gripping his mandibles tightly.
Laughter echoed through the trees. Three termites emerged from the shadows, their grotesque forms oozing acid from their hands.
"Such pitiful, weak insects. Dying without even seeing the face of their killer. Pathetic," one termite sneered, his voice dripping with cruelty.
What the hell… termites? But in our world, their acid could only irritate ants. Now it can kill instantly, Ari thought, unnerved.
And just like the ants of this world, the termites bore the uncanny blend of insect and human features. Their upright posture mimicked that of a human, their limbs jointed yet structured in a way that resembled arms and legs. Their hands—if they could be called that—were clawed but still faintly human. Their exoskeletons, however, were yellowish—softer in appearance, but dangerous.
"These ones seem to have some sense. I'll make quick work of them with my acid," another termite mocked.
"Be careful, guys. These are monsters," Rory warned, his muscles tense.
"There are only three of them, yet they've wiped out so many of us. They're strong. I have to protect Isla and Rory," Ari resolved, steadying his breath, his grip on his mandibles tightening.
"Rory, 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. Rory, I'm counting on you to protect her."
Ari sprinted toward the two termites as they squirted more acid. 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 half with Anastasia's father's mandibles.
They're soft and easy to cut. Their defense is weak, but their attack is deadly, Ari noted.
Isla clumsily swung her mandibles, serving as a decoy while Rory circled the termite. The termite spat acid at Rory, 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.