The night sky stretched endlessly above them, stars glimmering faintly against the dark expanse. Cool air rushed past Riven's face as the Queen soared through the sky in her full insect form.
Her deep purple and black carapace gleamed under the moonlight. Two additional limbs curled beneath her abdomen as her black sclera eyes scanned the landscape ahead.
Twin antennae twitched lightly in the wind while her translucent wings hummed as they carried them higher and higher.
Riven dangled in her grasp, his arms hooked carefully under hers. Despite the situation, she carried him as if he weighed nothing.
The Queen's face, even in this form, radiated joy—pure, unfiltered joy.
She was excited. Ecstatic, even.
Riven caught himself staring at her expression and quickly looked away, his stomach knotting with uncertainty.
What the hell am I doing?
He had no plan, no real idea of what would happen once they reached the hive. And yet… seeing her like this—so genuinely happy—it stirred something strange in him. Something warm.
It had been years since anyone had ever looked this delighted just to be with him.
Almost against his will, he found himself smiling faintly.
Below them, the land stretched vast and wild. Dense forests swayed like black oceans, and rivers glimmered silver under the moonlight. In the distance, far beyond the rolling hills, the city's walls stood tall, its faint lights barely visible now, a reminder of the world he was leaving behind for the moment.
His gaze lingered there briefly, a pang of unease crawling in his chest.
But then the Queen's wings shifted, angling downward as she tucked them closer to her body.
She dove.
The sudden drop forced Riven's stomach to lurch as they cut through the air like a falling blade. The wind howled past his ears, and he clenched his jaw, trying not to let the rush of adrenaline get the better of him.
The ground loomed closer, but instead of crashing, the Queen angled her descent toward a jagged outcrop of elevated earth.
At the very last second, she veered slightly, slipping gracefully through a gaping hole hidden among the rocks.
Darkness swallowed them for a brief moment—
—until the walls around them erupted with light.
Bioluminescent plants sprawled across the cavern's interior, their hues shifting between soft blues, greens, and purples. Strange, glowing fungi clung to the stone walls, and vines pulsed faintly as if alive with circulating mana.
Riven's eyes widened as he took in the surreal beauty.
The deeper they went, the more the cave expanded, revealing towering root-like structures that glowed faintly from within. The air carried a faint earthy scent mixed with something sweet, almost intoxicating.
For the first time since she had lifted him into the air, Riven found himself momentarily speechless.
This place wasn't just a nest.
It was alive.
As they descended deeper, a strange pulse began thrumming at the edges of Riven's mind.
It started faintly—a tingling at the base of his skull—then quickly escalated into a storm of alien signals, thousands of threads of sensation weaving and tugging all at once.
His vision flickered slightly, a rush of static-like information bleeding into his thoughts.
The Hive System chimed in.
❖ [Warning: You are nearing the central nesting chamber. Proximity to hive spawn has established partial neural synchronization.]
❖ [As Hive Lord, you are now receiving collective burial signals from all connected offspring. Neural load will adjust as synchronization stabilizes.]
"B-Burial what—?" Riven's thoughts fragmented as another wave of signals crashed through his mind like static-filled whispers.
For a moment, it was almost too much. Their emotions, their instincts, their scattered impressions of the world—all of it flooded his senses.
He pressed a hand to his temple, his breath coming quicker as the Queen held him closer, her wings beating steadily.
"Relax," she murmured softly, glancing at him. "They're just… excited. They can feel you."
Riven gritted his teeth, trying to force his breathing steady.
Then the cavern widened dramatically.
Below them, the chamber stretched vastly, like a cathedral carved by nature itself. The ground was covered in smooth, resin-like material that glistened under the glow of massive bioluminescent pods embedded in the walls.
And scattered throughout the chamber… were them.
Riven's spawn.
Hundreds of insectoid figures moved about in an unsettlingly coordinated manner. Their forms were sleek and varied—some more humanoid, some more insect-like with thicker carapace—but each bore traces of their lineage.
Some had his black hair but the Queen's golden eyes.
Others had her silky white hair but his sharp blue gaze.
Some even bore both traits at once, their skin tones shifting from deep brown to pale, the palest clearly being the youngest broodlings.
As his gaze swept over them, the thoughts hit him.
Mother Queen is back!
She brought King Father!
That's… Father?
Their voices weren't loud, but they were clear—like countless whispers echoing directly in his mind.
Riven's stomach tightened, his throat going dry.
"…Oh god…" he muttered under his breath, stunned beyond words.
And yet… a part of him couldn't stop staring.
The Queen's wings beat faster as she angled downward, gliding effortlessly through the cavern air.
The brood had begun to gather below, forming loose, shifting circles as they watched their mother descend. Their golden or amber eyes glimmered in the soft glow of the bioluminescent flora, each pair fixed on Riven.
Their voices—those countless alien thoughts—continued to pour into his mind.
Father is here…
He came…
He's real…
He's ours.
The overwhelming rush of emotion pressed against Riven's thoughts—curiosity, excitement, recognition—and for a brief moment, it almost felt like acceptance.
The Queen touched down lightly on the resin-coated ground, her extra limbs clicking softly as she steadied herself before carefully lowering Riven onto his feet.
As soon as his boots met the surface, a new wave of signals hit him—heavier, sharper.
❖ [Synchronization Level Increasing: 38% → 54% → 71%...]
Riven staggered slightly, pressing a hand to his temple. "O-okay… that's… that's new…"
Riven looked up slowly.
Dozens—no, hundreds—of the brood now stood just a few feet away. None of them approached yet, as if waiting for some kind of unspoken signal.
The younger ones, paler and smaller, peered out from behind the larger spawn, their antennae twitching gazing at him curiously.
Riven's breath caught.
"…They're… all mine?" he whispered without meaning to.
The Queen's lips curved into a tender smile as she nodded.
"Yes," she said softly. "All of them."
And at that, the chamber filled with a single, unified thought, echoing through his mind like a chorus.
Father.
Riven froze.
For the first time, it truly felt real.
Riven's chest tightened as he looked around at them.
'They really do look mostly human… and they're… kind of cute, he admitted silently to himself.'
Glancing at the Queen, he asked softly, "Why… why aren't they coming closer?"
The Queen smiled gently. "Because you don't look like you yet," she explained. "Right now, you seem… unfamiliar to them. They're confused, so change."
Riven blinked. "Change…? You mean… into my monster form?"
She nodded slowly, her golden eyes never leaving his.
Riven hesitated, his gaze dropping to his hands. The thought of changing unsettled him, a pit of unease twisting in his gut. But then his eyes drifted to the small ones, their wide, innocent gazes fixed on him with pure curiosity.
Something in him softened.
"…Alright," he said at last, a faint smile tugging at his lips. "Here goes."
An orange glow began to radiate from his body, illuminating the cavern as his form started to shift.
Bone and flesh rearranged. His frame grew broader, new muscle cords rippling beneath his skin. An exoskeletal carapace spread across his forearms, chest, and parts of his head, its pale white surface gleaming faintly under the cavern's glow.
A second pair of arms extended smoothly from beneath his shoulders, flexing experimentally as they formed. Antennae sprouted from his head, twitching slightly as new sensory input flooded in. Finally, a long, segmented tail unfurled behind him, its pointed edge glinting faintly in the bioluminescence.
His sclera darkened to pure black as his eyes adjusted to the change.
He flexed all four hands, staring at them in stunned silence. His voice was deeper now.
"…It feels… kind of strange," he admitted, glancing back at his tail as it swayed behind him. "And this thing—what the hell is it even for?" he asked glancing around and noticed he was the only one with it, a male only trait perhaps?
Before he could think further, he felt a light tap on his leg.
Riven looked down.
One of the smaller brood stood there, staring up at him with bright golden eyes. Her tiny hand rested gently on his leg.
Father.
The thought resonated in his head, clear and warm.
Riven's breath hitched.
❖ [Hive Synchronization: 100%]
❖ [Full mental link established with all active spawn.]
❖ [Hive coordination, control, and sensory sharing unlocked.]
❖ [As Hive Lord, your presence now fully stabilizes brood instincts, emotional state, and growth rate.]