The tunnels shuddered with distant growls—dozens of legs scraping stone, command pheromones thickening the air like blood mist. I crawled, fast and low, wounded and coughing from smoke seared into my carapace. My shell—once a sturdy armor—was cracked and splintering, and my left hind leg barely moved. Acid glands were dry. The Hive had transformed from whispers to screams, and it was only a matter of time before it found me. Behind me, darkness loomed. No Zeta. No Beta. Just me. And the deep. [Pheromone Signature: OFFLINE] [Hive Awareness: Hostile. You are a Target.] The Hive wasn't searching anymore. It knew. And it had sent everything.
Zeta's trail ended beneath a broken tunnel shaft—half-crushed roots stained with black blood and a fragment of a crystal shard that glimmered faintly, almost mockingly. I could feel the weight of despair settle on my back; he had made it to the Queen's Shrine. He planted the spike, but in doing so, he sealed his fate. The Hive would never forget him. Neither would I. But I couldn't stay; I needed to survive. I gathered what was left of the crystal—pulsing softly with stolen pheromone data—and slipped into the side shaft. Old. Unused. Mold-lined. The Hive wouldn't follow me here. And if it did… let it rot. The tunnel led down, deeper than I'd ever dared. The walls grew smooth, the natural stone giving way to old alloy, forgotten tech from another age—something not born of the Hive. Etched symbols adorned the walls—curved, soft, like human writing. Familiar. A sharp pain flared behind my eyes, and in an instant, I was transported away from the depths of the Hive.
That Field Trip
The bus was stifling, filled with the chatter and laughter of my classmates, the world outside rushing by in a blur of colors. Aya slumped against the window, fatigue weighing heavily on her. A group of kids bickered at the back—arguing over which character from their favorite anime would survive in an isekai world. "I call necromancer!" someone yelled, igniting a fresh bout of giggles. "No fair! Aya's The chaos faded behind me as I scrambled through the narrow side shaft. My heart raced; I could hear the echoes of Omega-Red pursuing me, his powerful legs pounding against the ground, fueled by the tenacity of the Hive. I turned a corner and felt the heat of the battle behind me begin to dissipate, but I knew it wouldn't be long before he found me again.
I spotted the entrance of an unfinished tunnel smeared with damp earth and strewn with loose rocks. Without hesitating, I dashed inside, feeling the cool, humid air envelop me like a shroud. The tunnel was dark and cramped, just wide enough for me to crawl. With every movement, I could feel the Hive's acrid air clinging to my carapace—remnants of the battle still fresh in my mind.
But I didn't have time to linger on it. Omega-Red was relentless, and I could almost sense his rage boiling over as he brushed through the debris behind me. There was no way I could face him head-on, not in my current state. I needed to think. I eased myself into a low crawl, inching deeper into the darkness, praying that it would lead somewhere safe.
The walls of the tunnel were slick and uneven; clumps of dirt fell from above as I moved further in. I felt the sting of panic creeping in, but I pushed it down. I couldn't afford to let fear consume me. As I crawled, I focused on the task ahead—digging, searching for an escape, hoping it would lead to freedom.
I reached out with my legs, sending my claws into the cool earth and scraping away the layers. With every passing moment, I would dig deeper, a rhythm forming as I chipped away at the unforgiving soil. The sound of clattering rocks was drowned out by the roar of Omega-Red's pursuit. He was getting closer.
"Come on, come on," I muttered under my breath, desperation fueling my movements. Just as I felt like I could collapse from exertion, my claws hit something softer beneath the surface. The earthy resistance gave way, and I struck mud. It felt strange beneath me, slick and oddly intoxicating.
As I struck deeper, I realized that the mud was yielding something more: water. It surged up from above, spilling into the tunnel like a breach in a dam. Panic surged anew as I felt the tide rise, and I scrambled backward—too late. The water gushed forth, a powerful current erupting beneath me, lifting my body and propelling me through the narrowing tunnel.
I was swept away, my form tumbling in the dark as the water dragged me upward. The tunnel walls blurred past, and I could feel the pressure build as I was launched toward an opening. The light struck me suddenly, illuminating the illusion of calm above. I was thrown out of the tunnel and into open air.
With a gasp, I burst forth from the water, emerging onto the surface of a serene lake as dawn began to break. The sun's early rays danced upon the water's surface, casting shafts of amber and gold across the landscape. I gasped for air, my body cold and drenched, but a sense of relief washed over me as I realized I had escaped the grasp of the Hive.
The shore was close by, and I staggered toward it, my limbs weighed down by the water. I collapsed upon the soft, muddy bank, the earth squishing beneath me, and felt the sun warming my back. For a moment, I lay there, disoriented, trying to comprehend the surreal transition from the dark tunnels of the Hive to the tranquil beauty around me.
Slowly, I turned my head to take in the landscape. The sun was rising over the lake, the sky painted in hues of orange, pink, and lavender. Birds began to chirp from the trees lining the shore, a chorus of life awakening around me. Yet, the calm beauty couldn't erase the fear that burned in my chest. Omega-Red would still be on my trail; I knew I couldn't rest for long.
As I struggled to my feet, I felt a renewed sense of determination. I wasn't just a girl anymore; I was a survivor. I had escaped the Hive once, and I would do it again. I turned back toward the lake, my mind racing with possibilities—a plan forming in the back of my mind. I needed to regroup, find allies, and understand my new reality. The Hive was still out there, and I was its target, but I was no longer just running.
I was preparing to fight.obviously the villainess!" another piped up, the teasing lilt in her voice familiar enough to cut deep. Aya rolled her eyes, a dry retort bubbling to her lips just as effortlessly. "If anyone's the villainess, it's you, Reina. You have the heels for it." The laughter around her faded as she turned inward, struggling against the tide of isolation that loomed in her chest. They were headed to a historical ruin outside of town, a trip she had fought fiercely to cancel. But no one listened—not the teachers, not the debate team president whose voice fell on deaf ears. Aya stared at her reflection in the glass; the girl she saw there appeared smart, with sharp eyes and a messy ponytail framing her weary face. Why does it feel like I'm already gone? Then, someone joked, "What if we all got isekai'd right now?" "Oh sure! And I bet a truck's gonna come flying out of nowhere and kill us all—real original," Aya smirked, masking her dread behind a mask of sarcasm. Thirty seconds later, she saw headlights in the distance. The driver screamed. The world turned white.
**Back in the Dark**
I gasped, collapsing onto the metal floor. My legs curled tight, antennae twitching violently. Aya. That was me. I'd been a girl, sarcastic and overworked—a debate club president wearing a chip on her shoulder, fighting to be heard amidst a sea of noise. And now I was… a bug. A rogue. A corpse with a cause.
The chamber beyond the alloy hallway opened into something vast. A dome—natural, yet clearly shaped. At its center stood a structure like a flower with metal petals, cracked and humming with life. It felt… alive. I approached, body trembling with the power it radiated.
[System Core: Fragmented Node Detected] Legacy Function Available: —[Cognitive Evolution Tree: Unlocked]— New Skill Acquired:
[Mind Web Lv.1] – Allows connection with up to two sentient allies for shared thought during battle.
Future Node Unlock: Requires Memory Integration.
I exhaled sharply. This was it. My next leap.
But I wasn't alone. Scrape. Scrape. An ant, bigger than any soldier I'd laid eyes on. Tall, with a shining carapace marked by Hive symbols, but those eyes… they were alive. Intelligent. Another like me.
[Appraisal – Active]
Name: Omega-Red
Type: Royal Enforcer Level: 12
HP: 120/120
Skills:
• Pheromone Supremacy
•Hive Override
• Adaptive Regeneration
• Thought Breaker
Status: Sentient Loyalty
The Queen Mission: Eliminate You.
This was what they sent when the Hive got scared.
I backed up slowly, mind racing. He was sentient, but not free. A slave with agency. A beast with thoughts twisted by the Hive. I had no chance in a straight fight. But now? [Mind Web – Active] Searching… – No allies in range. Damn. But maybe… [Acid Spit – Ready] Target: Node roots. Objective: Collapse the structure between us. I fired. The metal stem hissed, corroding rapidly. Omega-Red lunged with terrifying precision, but I reacted instinctively. The ceiling cracked. And dropped. BOOM. Dust erupted through the chamber, pulling us into chaos. I ran. I dove through another side shaft—narrow and sharp. I didn't dare look back
I crawled until my legs gave out. I found myself in a twisted burrow beneath the broken system room. As I collapsed, my heart shattered into a million pieces. Not as an ant. Not as a rogue. As Aya, the girl who fought too hard, who mocked clichés and wished for a better world. The girl who never got to say goodbye. Zeta was gone. Beta had betrayed me. The Hive was hunting me, a relentless predator, and yet… I was still alive. Still thinking. Still fighting. I wasn't done yet. Time lost its meaning in this hollow space, yet it also birthed realizations. The memories surged, and I grasped them like lifelines of laughter, camaraderie, and nostalgic moments that flickered like fireflies in a vast, shadowed forest. "Do you ever feel invisible?" Aya had asked her friend Reina during lunch one day beneath that cherry blossom tree. Reina had lifted her gaze, curiosity playing on her lips. "Invisible? What do you mean?" "Like, no matter how hard you try, no one sees you, only the version of you they want?" Reina had pondered this, her expression morphing into one of concern and understanding. "I think everyone feels that way sometimes. We are all just trying to figure it out." But Aya had felt different. Struggling against the current of expectations imposed by the world around her, she longed to be more than just a name buried in the crowd. "Yeah, but when does it stop? When do we become more than something fragmentary?" The cherry blossoms fell gently like whispers, reflecting the inevitability of time moving forward, drawing everything closer to the horizon of adulthood. Now, in the depths of despair, I realized the battle raging inside me was one of transformation—the melding of the girl I once was with the ant I had now become. With the flickering of memories and the burgeoning flame of determination, I rose. I had to rise. And so, I crawled out of the hollow's heart, fueled by the laughter of friends lost and the camaraderie I still possessed.
The chaos faded behind me as I scrambled through the narrow side shaft. My heart raced; I could hear the echoes of Omega-Red pursuing me, his powerful legs pounding against the ground, fueled by the tenacity of the Hive. I turned a corner and felt the heat of the battle behind me begin to dissipate, but I knew it wouldn't be long before he found me again.
I spotted the entrance of an unfinished tunnel smeared with damp earth and strewn with loose rocks. Without hesitating, I dashed inside, feeling the cool, humid air envelop me like a shroud. The tunnel was dark and cramped, just wide enough for me to crawl. With every movement, I could feel the Hive's acrid air clinging to my carapace—remnants of the battle still fresh in my mind.
But I didn't have time to linger on it. Omega-Red was relentless, and I could almost sense his rage boiling over as he brushed through the debris behind me. There was no way I could face him head-on, not in my current state. I needed to think. I eased myself into a low crawl, inching deeper into the darkness, praying that it would lead somewhere safe.
The walls of the tunnel were slick and uneven; clumps of dirt fell from above as I moved further in. I felt the sting of panic creeping in, but I pushed it down. I couldn't afford to let fear consume me. As I crawled, I focused on the task ahead—digging, searching for an escape, hoping it would lead to freedom.
It was a dead end
I reached out with my legs, sending my claws into the cool earth and scraping away the layers. With every passing moment, I would dig deeper, a rhythm forming as I chipped away at the unforgiving soil. The sound of clattering rocks was drowned out by the roar of Omega-Red's pursuit. He was getting closer.
"Come on, come on," I muttered under my breath, desperation fueling my movements. Just as I felt like I could collapse from exertion, my claws hit something softer beneath the surface. The earthy resistance gave way, and I struck mud. It felt strange beneath me, slick and oddly intoxicating.
As I struck deeper, I realized that the mud was yielding something more: water. It surged up from above, spilling into the tunnel like a breach in a dam. Panic surged anew as I felt the tide rise, and I scrambled backward—too late. The water gushed forth, a powerful current erupting beneath me, lifting my body and propelling me through the narrowing tunnel.
I was swept away, my form tumbling in the dark as the water dragged me upward. The tunnel walls blurred past, and I could feel the pressure build as I was launched toward an opening. The light struck me suddenly, illuminating the illusion of calm above. I was thrown out of the tunnel and into open air.
With a gasp, I burst forth from the water, emerging onto the surface of a serene lake as dawn began to break. The sun's early rays danced upon the water's surface, casting shafts of amber and gold across the landscape. I gasped for air, my body cold and drenched, but a sense of relief washed over me as I realized I had escaped the grasp of the Hive.
The shore was close by, and I staggered toward it, my limbs weighed down by the water. I collapsed upon the soft, muddy bank, the earth squishing beneath me, and felt the sun warming my back. For a moment, I lay there, disoriented, trying to comprehend the surreal transition from the dark tunnels of the Hive to the tranquil beauty around me.
Slowly, I turned my head to take in the landscape. The sun was rising over the lake, the sky painted in hues of orange, pink, and lavender. Birds began to chirp from the trees lining the shore, a chorus of life awakening around me. Yet, the calm beauty couldn't erase the fear that burned in my chest. Omega-Red would still be on my trail; I knew I couldn't rest for long.
As I struggled to my feet, I felt a renewed sense of determination. I wasn't just a girl anymore; I was a survivor. I had escaped the Hive once, and I would do it again. I turned back toward the lake, my mind racing with possibilities—a plan forming in the back of my mind. I needed to regroup, find allies, and understand my new reality. The Hive was still out there, and I was its target, but I was no longer just running.
I was preparing to fight.