Chapter 7: "The Hive Bleeds Crimson"
The battlefield was a nightmare.
Ash and embers floated in the morning sky like haunted fireflies. The once lush outskirts of Shrey's hometown were now an inferno of collapsed homes, crushed memories, and a chorus of distant screams. The Queen Bee hovered in the air, her obsidian wings casting a monstrous shadow over the town. Blood dripped from her claws. And below her… lay the broken forms of many.
She had killed Shrey's parents.
With one brutal thrust of her jagged limbs, they were gone. Their last glance was at their son—one filled with pride and sorrow. And Shrey… stood paralyzed, eyes wide, lips trembling, as the world caved in around him.
The others were screaming his name—but it was like he couldn't hear them.
Then came Yash.
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"SHREY, RUN!"
Yash's voice cracked like thunder as he threw a wave of K-Energy forward, a crimson vortex that slammed into the Queen's side, pushing her back—but only slightly.
Yash stood tall, panting, fists bloodied, body bruised from the earlier fight.
"You'll pay for everything," he growled. "For his parents. For Rohan's brother. For all of them."
The Queen cocked her head. Amused.
She didn't speak, but her eyes glowed with hunger. She descended in a blur, claws outstretched.
Yash didn't move.
He dashed forward with a scream, fists glowing with K-Energy. He landed a solid punch to the Queen's abdomen—and she staggered. He grinned. But that was the last moment of victory.
In the blink of an eye, the Queen slammed her stinger through his stomach.
His eyes widened. He looked down at the crimson soaking his uniform.
And with a final whisper, "Take care of him… Maya…" he collapsed.
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Mayra screamed.
"No! YASH!!!"
And she charged in next.
One by one—each of them did.
Arjun, reckless and burning with rage, summoned his earth spikes and lightning-infused strikes—but was swatted away mid-air like a fly.
Maya, her heart shattering, tried to teleport behind the Queen, blade drawn, but was impaled mid-step.
Rohan, eyes full of vengeance, yelled his brother's name as he launched every blast he had—but the Queen flicked her wings and blew it all away. He died smiling, thinking of his brother.
Mayra, last of them, didn't cry. She fought with tears in her eyes and fire on her fingertips.
"I loved him… I loved you all…"
She was crushed beneath the Queen's claw.
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Silence.
Captain Jacks stood in front of Shrey, breath uneven.
Dr. Jain was nowhere to be seen—hidden, camouflaged, preparing something, perhaps.
Jacks murmured, "Damn it, Shrey… now's the time. Please…"
And then—
Shrey rose.
Not walked.
Floated.
His body lifted from the earth as if pulled by something divine… or cursed.
His arms hung loosely at first, face blank, eyes hollow. But as he rose higher, golden and red streaks of K-Energy circled around him like wind caught in flame.
The Queen turned, sensing something unfamiliar. Something dangerous.
Shrey's aura changed.
Half his body began glowing a molten red, the other side turning a sunlit yellow—a duality of rage and light, pain and justice.
A deep hum filled the air. The ground trembled.
Captain Jacks backed away slowly. "No way… he's activating it—by himself?"
High above, Shrey's eyes slowly opened.
And for the first time… the Queen took a step back.
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To be continued in Chapter 8: "The Wrath of Shrey"