Fatigue from the journey weighed on them, and no one came to greet them at the gate or came to them, no one except Alfred.

Clara brewed some tea for Theo one last time before Elias headed to the attendant’s living quarters while Clara returned to her home.

After coming back to the room, Theo felt a deep sense of safety settle over him.

And, of course, not to forget, the Hive Link could be felt near him. The moment he lay down on the bed was the moment his consciousness slipped into the hive.

And since he hadn’t asked the Ant Queen beforehand, he was gently pulled into an even more isolated section in the hive so as to avoid any unwanted repercussions.

Soon, emotions began to flow from the Ant Queen, and in that instant, Theo felt an urge to hug it.

The sheer warmth and the amount of happy emotions he could feel, not just from the Ant Queen but from countless familiar minds, washed over him, making Theo feel like his mind was being invaded with excitement and happiness.

"I have been very good, Ant Queen," Theo said, sending a wave of emotions that mimicked a gentle pat on the head. The response was immediate; the Ant Queen grew even happier.

Theo knew that while the Ant Queen was highly intelligent, that very intelligence allowed it to process emotions far more deeply than the normal worker ants. It could feel and express emotions in ways the others simply couldn’t, and Theo was all for it.

"How have you been?" Theo asked.

The Ant Queen replied with calm emotions, saying it was doing well.

Theo nodded, a quiet pride rising within him. Even in his absence, when he was away from both the castle and forest, they were able to keep themselves safe. And judging by the pressure and the looks of the hive...

The number of minds had only grown.

Among the spectrum of the hive, one presence stood out, tugging at his attention. Theo followed the connection and decided to visit the member.

The moment he did, a burst of excitement greeted him.

"Spider, how are you?" Theo asked, sending another familiar mental head pat, the same one he used to give when the spider lived in the glass box.

The spider responded with a flood of emotions, some chaotic and hard to decipher since they were sent in its excitement, while some were pure, a true definition of happiness.

Theo couldn’t help but laugh. These beasts greeted him better than any human ever could. They had that innocence in them he hoped would never fade.

"Alright, I will come meet you all tomorrow. Come above to meet me then," he said before withdrawing, the spider sent responded with eager nodding emotions.

No sooner had he left than the Ant Queen tugged him again.

This time, he found himself before two towering pillars, representations of other Ant Queens and the connections they now held.

Each of those connections led to unfamiliar ants, new minds Theo had never seen before. That was when a restless curiosity stirred within him.

"Are these a new variety?" he asked, making the Ant Queen nod in confirmation.

And then, his gaze drifted to another cluster, one that immediately caught his attention.

At its edge stood a massive presence.

Theo recognized it right away.

The crawler.

But it wasn’t alone. Several other large presences surrounded it, ones he didn’t recognize.

But one thing became clear almost immediately, he couldn’t enter that cluster. Not the crawler’s, nor the others present there.

Those minds possessed even greater brain power. While they supported the Ant Queen, they would only put extra pressure on Theo since he wasn’t at their level yet.

And at that recognition, a loop sparked in his thoughts.

To strengthen his hive, the beasts would need to grow alongside it, become smarter and stronger. But as they did, Theo would need to strive to advance alongside them... and then beyond them... again and again.

It was an endless cycle.

But it was something that was necessary and had to be done.

Right now, he focused on the many worker ants’ minds. There was no strain on his mind, none at all. It was as if his breakthrough had hardened his mental capacity enough to handle them with ease.

Then, from the edges of his awareness, he noticed something new.

More minds that looked different. 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

And immediately, Theo felt like going to see what had changed.

But knowing it was too late and he was already feeling sleepy, he decided to check it out the next day.

"Alright, I am going to sleep. I will see you tomorrow, Ant Queen," he said and got out of the connection. As he shifted, he felt something brush against his legs.

Looking down, he saw the mantis lying low on the bed, its back twitching slightly. Its forelegs rested near Theo’s feet, almost as if it had wrapped them around his.

Theo smiled and went to sleep. It had been a tiring day.

_____

The next morning, Theo woke up early on his own, earlier than Clara. After having some tea, he made his way toward his father.

"Young Master Theo!" one of the knights called out happily upon seeing him after so long.

Theo didn’t recognize the man, but he returned the smile. "How’s your day going?" he asked, making the knight grin even more.

"All good. It will go even better now that I have seen you," the knight replied, grinning widely.

Theo chuckled, but the man’s gaze soon drifted over Theo’s head and shoulders, making him pause in confusion.

Noticing Theo’s questioning gaze, already looking for what he was thinking about, the knight spoke up.

"You have grown taller and more muscular since the last time I saw you. That’s great!" he said in yet another firm, military manner.

Theo nodded and made his way forward only to see another knight greet him with a smile and exchange a few words before stepping aside. Then a third did the same.

Theo didn’t quite understand what was happening, but a smile formed on his face. It felt great to be back after some time, and even better knowing that people had missed him to some extent.

When he reached the baron’s study, the two knights at the gate lit up at the sight of him and immediately opened the doors before nodding at him.

The baron looked up to see who it was.

The moment their gazes met, Theo felt like he was going to get a warm greeting from him too.

But surprisingly, the baron’s face darkened.

"You bastard!"

"????"