After leaving Anastasia's chambers, Lily stretched her arms above her head with an exaggerated yawn, her antennae twitching lazily. Ari, on the other hand, walked in silence, eyes fixed ahead as the dimly lit tunnels curved before them. The faint hum of distant activity resonated through the stone, a quiet vibration beneath his feet.
I thought I knew all there was to know about the structure of the colony, Ari mused, his steps slow and measured. But clearly, I don't. There's more here—layers I haven't even begun to understand. I wonder if I'll ever really learn how all of this fits together…
A sharp flick against the side of his head snapped him out of the thought.
"Hey, don't zone out on me already," Lily said with a teasing grin. "We're barely five steps out of Anastasia's chambers, and you look like you're trying to solve the meaning of life."
Ari blinked, rubbing the spot she'd flicked.
"You know, you're really something else, Ari," she said, her voice carrying a mix of amusement and quiet admiration. The faint glow of the chamber lights caught in her eyes as she studied him. "In just over a month you've gone from a prisoner to a Lieutenant in our army. If I didn't know better, I'd think you had some kind of… special ability."
Ari let out a soft chuckle, the sound echoing faintly against the cool stone walls. He rubbed the back of his neck, feeling the slight roughness of his exoskeleton. "Yeah, I wish I did," he said aloud, his tone easy.
She's not wrong, he admitted almost inwardly, a fleeting weight settling in his chest before he quickly smothered it with a casual smile.
Lily tilted her head. "What was that?"
"Nothing," Ari said quickly.
"Hmm." She smirked again but let it go.
Lily suddenly stepped in front of him, cutting off his stride. She leaned in just enough for her grin to feel sly, almost teasing.
"And also …" she said, voice dipping into something more playful, "Anastasia doesn't call just anyone to her chambers. That means she trusts you—as an ally—and she actually acknowledges you as a soldier capable of fighting by her side."
Ari let out a quiet sigh, his shoulders sinking. "If you say so…"
The air grew warmer as they descended into a broader chamber, its walls lined with smooth resin and faint streaks of moss. The sound hit first—a constant, rhythmic thrum of countless tools striking rock, like a soft but unrelenting heartbeat that filled every corner. The scent of damp earth and fresh resin mingled with the faint tang of sweat and soil.
Ari immediately noticed the difference—the deeper tunnel bustled with life. Hundreds of worker ants moved in coordinated streams, their bodies glistening faintly under the dim blue glow of luminescent moss. Some carried long, cylindrical bundles of debris, the earthy smell trailing behind them. Others hauled resin containers sloshing with water, droplets spilling onto the stone floor and leaving faint, glistening trails. The air vibrated with the scrape of pickaxes biting into walls, the dull crash of loosened rocks, and the soft shuffle of hundreds of synchronized footsteps.
"This," Lily said, gesturing toward the endless stream of movement before them, "is the Worker Sector. We're going to start with them first."
She glanced at Ari, a faint smile tugging at her lips. "You remember when you were imprisoned, right? How they rotated between the prisoners and the worker ants for digging tunnels? Well, the workers handle the deeper tunnels first, then take over the ones closer to the surface after the prisoners are done. They're the backbone of the colony. Everything you've seen so far—every chamber, every passage—exists because of them."
"I see…" Ari murmured, watching the workers move in tireless, rhythmic patterns. Their bodies swayed in unison, antennae flicking as they communicated silently, coordinating without pause. Every strike of a tool sent tiny vibrations through the floor, faint shivers that Ari could feel under his feet. "I didn't know they went through all that."
So Evelyn has to endure this kind of work every day… he thought, a quiet sigh slipping past his lips. I feel sorry for her.
His mind drifted back to the moment he'd made the counterproposal to Queen Celeste.
"If you don't mind, there's another option the elders and I believe would be better."
"I'm listening, as long as it doesn't involve being imprisoned again," Ari had said flatly.
"The first time you came here, you said you didn't belong to a colony. So we humbly ask you to join ours," Queen Celeste had said, bowing alongside the elders. "Your strategy was flawless. We need someone with a level head like yours in the military."
They should thank the video games I used to play when I was alive, Ari had thought. Didn't expect it to work that well.
"So, do you agree to join us?" she'd asked.
"I will—but on one condition."
"And that is?"
"I have two friends who are prisoners here. Free them and let them work as regular workers in your colony, and I'll accept."
An elder had started to protest—"That's absurd! Our queen would never—"
"Fair enough," Celeste had interrupted. "Your friends will be freed. Welcome to the colony, Ari. I expect great things from you."
Ari had blinked, almost surprised by how easily she agreed. Well… that was easier than I thought.
The memory receded, leaving a faint heaviness in his chest. Ari swallowed, and a quiet sigh escaped his mouth.
Now he stood here, watching a girl barely older than a trainee carving endless stone.
Did I really make Evelyn's life better by freeing her and her grandfather from prison? Or did I just move her from one kind of burden to another?
The strikes of pickaxes blurred into a dull hum. For a moment, the weight of it stayed heavy, like a stone sinking deeper in his chest.
Before the thought could linger, Lily's voice in the present cut through, grounding him once again.
"And you also know," Lily continued, her tone softening, "that many worker ants have to go on expeditions to gather food and resources for the colony. Most of them have zero combat experience, yet they venture into unfamiliar, often dangerous terrain. Whether it's a small expedition or a large-scale one—like the one you joined a few weeks back as a Lance Corporal—it's our duty as military ants to ensure their safety."
As they moved deeper into the tunnels, Ari's eyes caught two smaller, younger ants clumsily hacking away at the walls. Dust floated in the warm, slightly humid air, clinging to their tired bodies. The first—a lanky male with an awkward, almost crooked posture—nearly tripped over his own legs as he swung his pickaxe. The second, a female, looked visibly tired, her movements sluggish but still determined.
Both of them were using pickaxes made from hardened resin, stone, and wood, their edges dulled by repeated strikes. The male raised his tool high and struck the tunnel wall with all his strength. The blow sent a small shower of grit and loose dirt raining down, but his foot slipped on a patch of fine soil, and his grip faltered. The pickaxe clattered loudly against the stone floor, the metallic echo bouncing through the tunnel. It landed right beside the female ant, the loud thud startling her into stiff stillness.
"Careful, Nilo!!" the female shouted, clearly shaken. "You could've killed me just now!"
"I… I'm sorry, Sera," Nilo stammered, rubbing the back of his head. His antennae twitched nervously. "I lost my balance—it won't happen again."
Sera let out a long, exasperated sigh. "Honestly… you really are clumsy, aren't you?"
Lily chuckled, watching Nilo scramble to pick up his tool. "You can always tell who's new to their work," she said. "They've still got that 'I'm going to become a great worker' look on their faces. Adorable, but… they'll learn soon enough."
Ari tilted his head slightly, watching the exchange. The fine dust hung in the dim air, catching faint glimmers of light as the two continued their slow, shaky work. "Those two look sort of young."
"Yes, that's because they are," Lily explained, her tone calm but instructive. "They're trainee worker ants, preparing to transition into their roles after they come of age. At this stage, they undergo practical training in all kinds of colony support work—tunnel carving, food transportation, caring for the young, and general maintenance. They're always supervised by Chief Worker ant, and discipline is heavily instilled early on."
"Oh, I didn't know that," Ari said, a hint of surprise in his voice. "But now it makes sense. After keeping them in the deeper tunnels far from the surface, they finally get the chance to come up here to prepare by training."
Sera crossed her arms, glaring at Nilo. "Listen, if you can't even handle carving out the tunnels, why don't you just go take care of the children instead?"
"I can manage, Sera," Nilo muttered, gripping his pickaxe again. "It's just… I get unlucky all the time."
Before Sera could respond, a loud, commanding voice echoed through the tunnel, cutting through the steady rhythm of scraping tools.
"Am I to assume that you two are slacking off?"
Sera froze, eyes wide, and Nilo nearly dropped his pickaxe again as he turned around in panic.
"It's not like that, Chief!" Sera quickly said, grabbing her pickaxe and hammering away at the tunnel wall with renewed speed.
"I… I'm sorry!" Nilo blurted nervously as he scrambled to resume his work.
A larger, sturdier-looking ant stepped into view. His frame cast a long shadow across the dimly lit tunnel, his presence grounding the chaotic rhythm of the young trainees. His tone was firm but not unkind. "Honestly, you younglings are something else. Maintain order and focus on the task at hand so you don't make any mistakes. This will be your life after you come of age, so you'd better get used to it."
From a few paces away, another female worker chuckled lightly, leaning on her own pickaxe. "Come on, Chief, go easy on them. They're just getting the hang of things."
The chief shot her a brief glance but didn't argue. "Perhaps. But they'll thank me later when they're not crushed under a collapsed tunnel."
Ari glanced toward Lily. "Who's that guy? It's the first time I've seen him."
"Oh, I don't think you two have been introduced yet," Lily said. "This is Chief Worker Ant Edmund. He's a supervisor class worker. Experienced ones like him coordinate large-scale tasks—seasonal harvesting, tunnel mapping, resource allocation. He oversees this sector and holds minor administrative power within the colony's operations."
"I see…" Ari murmured, watching Edmund bark a few more instructions at the trainees. "So even the worker ants have someone who governs their movements."
"Please focus, Nilo. You almost got me in trouble with the Chief," Sera muttered as she hammered away at the tunnel wall, dislodging dirt and rock with precise strikes.
"I'm sorry," Nilo mumbled, shoulders slumping.
"Quit apologizing. It's getting annoying now," Sera snapped, shaking her head.
As if on cue, Nilo stumbled again, his foot slipping on a patch of loose dirt. He pitched forward, nearly losing his grip on the pickaxe—
—but before he could hit the ground, a steady hand caught him by the shoulder.
"Are you alright, Nilo?"
The trainee froze, antennae shooting upright. He turned slowly, eyes wide. "D-Deputy Chief… Flint?!"
Flint exhaled softly, his tone calm but edged with quiet disappointment. "I'll take that as a yes."
In one smooth motion, Flint adjusted Nilo's stance, shifting his weight and steadying his posture. "Focus, Nilo. Steady your legs before you swing at the tunnel wall. Establish your balance first, then let the impact follow. Otherwise, you're just asking for another slip like that."
Nilo immediately straightened, antennae twitching nervously. "Y-Yes, Deputy Chief!"
"Good." Flint gave a single nod, his gaze still firm. "Now get back to work. Carefully this time."
"Yes, sir!" Nilo said, gripping his pickaxe tightly with renewed determination.
Flint stepped back, his calm eyes scanning both Nilo and Sera as they resumed their carving with more careful, deliberate strikes. The steady scrape of their tools joined the symphony of dozens more echoing deeper in the tunnels.
As he turned to continue his inspection of the tunnel, his gaze shifted—and landed on Ari.
For a brief moment, Flint blinked, antennae perking up in surprise. Then his expression broke into something far warmer than the firm composure he'd just shown the trainees.
"No way… Ari? It's you!"
Before Ari could even react, Flint waved enthusiastically and jogged over with a lightness that contrasted the heavy, disciplined air of the Worker Sector.
Ari straightened slightly, caught off guard. "…Uh, yeah. It's me."
Lily raised an amused brow, glancing between the two. "Oh? So you two know each other?"