Ari sat alone, absently moving the paired mandibles in his hands.
The dull scrape of metal against metal filled the quiet around him.
He watched the blades slide past one another.
Back and forth.
Back and forth.
The steady motion gave him something to focus on.
I haven't been in this world for very long, yet I've already come close to death more times than I can count.
Ari let out a slow breath.
The sound lingered in the silence.
His fingers tightened around the mandibles.
The edges clicked together once before becoming still.
Speed alone isn't enough.
His gaze lowered to the weapons in his hands.
If I want to survive here... if I want to protect the others... I need to learn how to fight.
The thought pulled him back to the termite colony.
The smell came first.
Smoke.
Burning wood.
Even now, he could almost taste it in the back of his throat.
Mixed with it was the sharp scent of acid.
Ari's jaw tightened.
He remembered acid spraying from a termite's forelimbs.
It struck the scorched ground with a violent hiss.
Steam rose from the impact.
He had thrown himself aside as the attack tore across the earth where he had been standing moments before.
When he was checking the system.
She appeared.
Termite Queen Corrosia.
At first glance, she had looked small.
Almost delicate.
Her humanlike figure made it easy to underestimate her.
One moment Ari had been cutting down termites and trying to check his rewards.
The next, a sharp impact pierced through him.
Pain exploded through his body.
The air spun.
His footing vanished.
He could still remember the sensation of being lifted off the ground.
The pressure in his chest.
The warmth of blood spreading beneath his exoskeleton.
He had survived.
Barely.
The sting of her acid still lingered in his memory.
So did the calm precision of her strikes.
And worse than that...
The way she had played with him.
Then there was the swarm of flies.
They had attacked during the food expedition, coming at them in relentless numbers.
The buzzing of their wings had filled the air from every direction, making it impossible to tell where the next attack would come from.
Ari stared at the ground.
What if they were as strong as Captain Valeria?
His shoulders tensed.
What if they were as fast as Captain Nyra?
A quiet breath left him.
Both of them are far superior to me. What would I do then?
"Ari."
Ari's antennae twitched at the sound of a familiar voice, pulling him from his thoughts.
He looked up and saw a familiar figure approaching.
"Oh, it's you, Princess Emilia."
He gave a small nod.
"It's been a while, hasn't it?"
Emilia stopped in front of him.
Her wings fluttered once behind her.
"I thought I told you to drop the formalities."
"Sorry," Ari said, rubbing his cheek with a finger.
"I guess I've gotten used to calling you 'Princess.' Is that a bad thing?"
"Well..."
Emilia hesitated.
Her antennae dipped slightly before rising again.
"I suppose it's fine."
She straightened her posture and looked at him.
"Still, I'm glad you made it back safely from that expedition."
She smiled warmly.
"I heard all about what happened from one of the soldiers. You were attacked by flies and still managed to fight them off. They said you were incredible out there."
Heat crept into Ari's face.
He looked away and scratched his cheek.
"I wouldn't go that far," he said.
"I just held my ground."
Emilia let out a small laugh.
For a moment, the tension seemed to leave her.
Then the smile faded.
Her eyes lowered briefly.
"Ari..."
Something in her voice made him look back at her.
She glanced around before taking a small step closer.
When she spoke again, her voice was barely above a whisper.
"We might not have much time left."
Ari froze.
His mouth parted slightly.
"What do you mean by that?" he asked.
"Um..."
Emilia hesitated.
Her fingers tightened against her arm.
"Do you remember when you were first spotted and captured?"
Ari blinked at the sudden change in topic.
"It's a day I could never forget," he said.
"Valeria was terrifying."
The memory drew a short breath from him.
Emilia gave a small nod.
"And do you remember telling me that you came from another world?"
Ari studied her face.
"I do."
"If that's true..."
Emilia took a slow breath.
A faint smile returned to her face, though it didn't quite reach her eyes.
"Could you tell me what your world is like? Does war exist there?"
Her gaze drifted toward the distance.
"Is there peace?"
Ari hesitated before answering.
"Well... it's not peaceful every single day, that's for sure. But compared to this world? It's much safer."
Emilia leaned forward slightly.
"Tell me more."
Ari leaned back and gathered his thoughts.
I haven't really thought much about my world since I got here.
"My world is much bigger than this one," he began.
"It's divided into many countries, each with its own government, culture, and language. I was born in Japan, in a city called Tokyo."
Come to think of it...
When I arrived in this world, there was never a language barrier between us.
For some reason, I understood everyone right away.
"Tokyo?" Emilia asked.
Her antennae flicked with curiosity.
Ari nodded.
"Yeah. It's one of the largest cities in Japan. There are towering buildings everywhere, bright lights, and millions of people going about their daily lives."
As he spoke, memories surfaced one after another.
"The streets are almost always crowded. You hear cars, trains, people talking, advertisements playing from giant screens..."
"It sounds overwhelming," Emilia said.
"It can be."
Ari let out a small laugh.
"But it's also incredible. The technology is so advanced that you can travel across huge parts of the city using underground trains. There are skyscrapers, shopping districts, entertainment centers..."
He paused.
"And more restaurants than you could visit in a lifetime."
"Restaurants?" Emilia asked, tilting her head.
"They're places where people go to eat food that's prepared for them."
Her eyes widened.
"You don't have to make your own food?"
"Not always," Ari said.
"A lot of people still cook at home, but there are also places where you can buy meals that are already prepared."
He smiled slightly.
"You can find food from all over the world. Spicy food. Sweet desserts. Fried food. Noodles. Soups. Just about anything."
"That sounds incredible."
Emilia's voice carried genuine amazement.
"Do you have a favorite food?"
Ari thought for a moment.
"Probably ramen."
"Ramen?"
"It's a noodle dish with broth, meat, and vegetables. It's warm, filling, and comforting."
"Ramen..."
Emilia repeated the word quietly, as though trying not to forget it.
"There's also ice cream."
"Ice cream?"
Ari nodded.
"It's a frozen dessert. Chocolate, vanilla, strawberry... there are all kinds of flavors. It melts when you eat it."
Emilia's eyes brightened.
"That sounds delicious. I want to try it someday."
Ari smiled.
"I think you'd like it."
Her eyes softened.
"Your world sounds so different... so wonderful."
She lowered her gaze for a moment.
The words left her almost as a whisper.
After a brief silence, she looked back at him.
"Say, do you miss your world?"
Ari opened his mouth.
Then stopped.
"Sometimes."
The answer came more quietly than he expected.
If I were being honest, there isn't much left for me in that world.
My father was always away.
My mother is gone.
And the one person who had cared about me the most...
I pushed her away.
Every day had felt the same.
School.
Home.
Sleep.
Then repeat it all again.
A dull routine he had never appreciated until it was gone.
Ari shook his head and pushed the thoughts aside.
"What about you?"
Emilia blinked.
"Hm?"
"You've spent all this time asking about my world."
He tilted his head slightly.
"What about yours?"
For a moment, she simply stared at him.
"Sorry if I'm prying."
"No, that's not it."
Emilia waved a hand.
"It's just..."
She hesitated.
"No one has ever asked me that before."
Ari remained quiet.
"As long as I can remember, I've never left the outskirts of the colony."
Her voice was calm, but there was something distant behind it.
"Most of my life has been spent studying how to become queen."
A small smile appeared on her face.
"I think..."
She paused.
"If there's one thing I've always wanted, it's to travel."
"Travel?" Ari asked.
She nodded.
"I've spent my entire life inside the colony. Everything I know about the outside world comes from reports written by scouts and soldiers."
"I've heard stories about forests, meadows, caves, rivers, and even mountains."
She looked down at her hands.
"I know where many of those places are."
The excitement in her voice faded.
"But I've never actually seen them."
A gentle breeze brushed through the area, stirring her hair.
Emilia watched the distant horizon.
"I can imagine what the world outside looks like."
A quiet laugh escaped her.
"But I don't know what it looks like through my own eyes. I want to experience it for myself."
Ari didn't answer right away.
For a few moments, neither of them spoke.
Then Emilia smiled.
A soft, fragile smile.
"Maybe one day I'll run away to your world with you. Far away from all of this."
The smile remained, but there was sadness behind it.
"If only things were that simple."
"Princess..."
Ari hesitated.
"If this is about Aixen..."
The moment the name left his mouth, Emilia's gaze dropped.
Her antennae lowered slightly.
"I don't know what to think anymore."
Her voice was quiet enough that he almost missed it.
Ari's hand tightened at his side.
He understood that feeling.
Not knowing what to believe.
Not knowing who to trust.
After a moment, he drew a slow breath.
"Whatever happens..."
Emilia looked up.
Ari met her eyes.
"I'll protect you."
The words came out simply.
Emilia stared at him.
Her eyes widened slightly before softening.
"Thank you," she said quietly.
A small smile appeared on her face.
"That means more to me than you know."
Neither of them spoke after that.
The breeze drifted through the area.
For a while, they simply sat together in silence.