Lyra ran to Ren's side. He was standing very still. His eyes were closed. He was not moving. Lyra was very scared. She checked his breathing. He was alive, but he was in some kind of deep sleep.
The Queen's Chamber was now dark. The Hive Heart, which had been the source of light, was gone. Lyra knew she had to protect Ren. She stood in front of him, her sword and cracked shield ready. She watched the dark tunnels, ready to fight any wasp that came back.
Inside Ren's mind, there was no darkness. There was a storm of light and computer code.
[System Reboot Complete.]
[User is Stable.]
[New Stat Unlocked: Mana Points (MP). Used for skills.]
[Unique Skill Acquired: [Summon Lesser Wasp]. Summons one loyal Glimmerwasp Drone. Cost: 50 MP.]
[Bloodline Evolution at 5%...]
[New Bloodline Name: [PRIMORDIAL]]
[New Bloodline Skill: [Conceptual Affinity]. You are now better at using your Conceptualization talent.]
All the information settled in his mind. The darkness in his eyes went away. He was back in the Queen's Chamber. He sat up. He felt amazing. He felt a new kind of energy inside him, a cool pool of mana.
"Whoa," he said with a big yawn. "That was a great nap. Did I miss anything?"
Lyra turned around. She was so happy to see him awake. "A nap?! Ren, you were out for ten minutes! You were glowing! I thought you were dead!"
"Dead? No way. Just had to update my software," he said. "You did a good job watching over me. Thank you."
Lyra did not know what to say. "What happened to you?"
"An upgrade," Ren said with a big grin. He decided to show her, not tell her. He focused on his new mana and thought about his new skill. '[Summon Lesser Wasp]'.
A shimmering, silver doorway opened in the air next to him. A Glimmerwasp Drone crawled out. It looked just like the others, but its eyes glowed with a soft blue light.
Lyra jumped back and raised her shield. But the wasp was not an enemy. It turned to Ren and lowered its head, like it was bowing.
Ren patted the top of its head. The wasp made a happy, clicking sound.
"I think I will call him Buzz," Ren said.
Lyra just stared. She looked at Ren. She looked at the friendly pet wasp. She looked at the giant dead Queen on the floor. Her brain gave up. She sat down on the ground. "I give up," she said. "Nothing makes sense anymore."
Ren laughed. He stood up and looked at all the dead wasps. There were so many valuable parts. They were rich.
He turned to his new pet. "Alright, Buzz. New job." He pointed to the pile of stingers and shells. "Help me carry all this loot."
Buzz clicked happily and started to push the monster parts into a pile.
"Come on, Lyra," Ren said, offering her a hand to help her up. "Let's go home. We are officially rich."