Flint jogged toward them, steps light but sure across the dusty tunnel floor. His antennae perked as he caught sight of Ari, and a wide grin broke across his face.
"No way… Ari? It's you!"
Ari stopped, blinking at the sound of his name. The face didn't spark anything. No memory surfaced. But the tone—warm, familiar, confident—meant they'd met before.
He kept his expression calm, neutral. "Yeah. It's been a while."
Flint stepped right up, eyes shining. "I can't believe you're a Lieutenant now! Back then, you weren't even part of the colony—and yet you led us to victory."
Ari blinked. So he was there.
"I remember the battle," Flint said, his voice lowering slightly. "Vladimir's betrayal… Helena's forces breaching the outskirts of the colony… It was complete chaos."
He laughed, nodding with energy. "You were the one who rallied us. I was on the crew that built the defensive wall out front— a few days before the attack. I supervised that whole section. But when things started falling apart, you came charging in with a plan. Ambushes. Strategic positioning for the few soldiers we had deployed to defend the colony. You had that map laid out, your voice steady… like you'd been preparing your whole life."
Flint exhaled. "And because of that—because of you—we held the line. We won."
Still, he gave a nod. "Yeah… right. That was a long day."
Flint didn't catch the hesitation. "It's good to see you again, Ari. We owe you a lot."
A faint shuffle of heavier footsteps drew Ari's attention to the side. A broad figure stepped forward, wiping soil and resin from his palms with a stained cloth. His exoskeleton was scratched and dark from years of field work, and his deep-set eyes scanned Ari with quiet scrutiny.
"You're the strategist they say pulled off the impossible," the ant said flatly.
Flint turned, stepping aside. "Chief Edmund—didn't see you there."
Edmund gave a short nod before stepping up and offering a firm hand to Ari. His palm felt dry and calloused, textured by decades of tunnel work and command.
"I'm Chief Worker Ant Edmund. I run this sector. In charge of all the worker ants within this colony. And I know how to spot a face that doesn't belong here."
Ari took the hand and shook it firmly. "Ari. And I get that a lot lately."
Edmund didn't smile, but his tone eased slightly. "Good grip. Strong stance. No doubt you've been trained well—Anastasia's work, I'm sure. She reminds me a lot of her father in the old days."
"He's more than trained," Flint added. "You wouldn't believe how calm he was during the Helena assault. Didn't even raise his voice once. Just… gave orders like he'd always belonged here."
The chief's gaze held his for a moment longer before turning toward Lily with a grunt.
"And speaking of ants who never belonged where they were placed—look who's still walking around like she owns the place."
"Oh no," Lily muttered under her breath, antennae drooping.
"Lily. Haven't seen your face in a while. Not as troublesome as back then, I hope?"
"Hey… I wasn't trying to cause trouble or anything," Lily said, her voice quieter than usual. "I just… did what felt right back then, okay?"
Her antennae twitched uneasily, and the usual teasing grin that always danced on her lips had faded. For once, she wasn't joking—just trying to explain herself, eyes lowered, shoulders tense, as if bracing for judgment.
wry smile tugged at the corner of Edmund's mouth.
"You remember how many times I caught you sneaking out of your tunnel-carving shifts? Skipping debris clearing just to sneak off to military training?" He gave a light shake of his head, antennae twitching. "You were brave, I'll give you that—but I'm still surprised your trainer never caught on. We lost a full hour of work just because I had to make an example out of you."
Lily looked off to the side, one brow twitching as a faint flush touched her cheeks.
"You can't blame me. I didn't want to waste away digging tunnels all my life." She rubbed the back of her neck. "I figured taking a risk—actually defending the colony—would be more worthwhile."
Edmund took a deep breath then spoke.
"You were dodging your caste role, no doubt about it. But even after going through all that brutal training, you came out strong." His tone grew more serious. "The Queen recognized that strength. And that insignia you wear? It's proof you were worthy of it."
He paused, gaze softening just a little.
"But… I'll admit this much—you shattered every expectation."
He paused, standing straighter, his tone turning quiet but firm.
"I attended the ceremony. Watched with my own eyes as you were promoted. What you've done, Lily, is break the barrier of destiny. You defied the fate of being a worker—and became a powerful military ant in three winter cycle. That's no small feat."
Lily's playful defiance faltered for just a moment. Her shoulders lifted, antennae twitching in hesitation as she glanced away.
"…Thanks, Chief," she said softly.
"It's not flattery," Edmund replied. "It's fact. You carved your own place."
Ari glanced at her. The usual lightness in her face was still there, but now it seemed a little quieter—less loud bravado and more hard-earned pride. For a moment, he saw her differently—not just as a teasing companion, but as someone who'd clawed her way out of the caste she was born into.
And he respected that.
From a short distance down the tunnel, Nilo and Sera had stopped moving.
Their tools hung forgotten in their hands, dirt-streaked arms frozen mid-swing. Both trainees stared, antennae perked in disbelief.
"Wait… did he say Lieutenant?" Sera muttered, blinking fast.
"And her, too?" Nilo whispered, wide-eyed. "I thought she was just another worker or maybe a private rank."
"She's younger than most of the officers I've seen," Sera said, voice tight with disbelief. "She can't be more than—"
Flint turned to them with a slight grin. "You two. You've been watching this whole time—might as well pay proper respect. These two were promoted just the start of the winter cycle. Officially ranked Lieutenants now."
Nilo blinked. He snapped to attention so quickly his pickaxe rattled against the wall. Sera stood upright beside him a second later.
They raised their right arms and saluted stiffly, palms vertical and fingers aligned.
"Lieutenant Ari. Lieutenant Lily," Sera said quickly. "It's an honor."
"It really is," Nilo added.
Lily blinked at them—then broke into a short laugh. "Relax! You don't have to be that formal about it."
She waved a hand, almost embarrassed. "I mean, come on—I'm barely older than the both of you."
Sera lowered her arm, but her eyes remained fixed. As the group began to move on, Nilo glanced back at Lily—her confident strides, the way she laughed easily with Ari, the faint smirk that curled at the corner of her mouth when she was amused.
She's… kind of amazing, Nilo thought, his grip on the pickaxe loosening. Strong. Sharp. And—well, beautiful.
His antennae twitched nervously. His eyes lingered a moment too long.
A sharp jab landed on his arm.
"Hey," Sera whispered without turning her head, her voice dry. "You're staring too much."
Nilo flinched, face heating. "I wasn't—I mean—!"
"Don't drool on the tunnel floor," she muttered, resuming her strikes. "It's embarrassing."
Flint turned toward the two trainees, but made no comment—though the corner of his mouth twitched slightly.
short while later, Ari and Lily exited the Worker Sector, the rhythmic clangs of labor fading behind them as the tunnel narrowed and curved. The air felt cooler here, quieter. Pockets of stillness settled between the scraping of their footsteps.
Lily stretched her arms behind her back with a long breath. "Whew. That went smoother than I thought."
Ari glanced at her sidelong, his voice relaxed. "You sure about that? You looked like you were about to melt when Edmund started listing your past mischief."
She huffed out a laugh, antennae flicking. "He exaggerates. I wasn't that bad."
"Two weeks of forced digging says otherwise."
"Ugh, don't remind me," she groaned. "I had blisters in places I didn't even know could get blisters. You try breaking resin and stone with a dull tool while an old veteran worker watches over your shoulder."
Ari gave a short laugh. "You're the one who skipped rotation."
"Not my finest moment," she admitted with a lopsided grin. "But hey, it brought me here. So maybe Edmund yelling at me was the best thing that ever happened."
"Seemed like you were glowing back there. Edmond really respects you"
"Oh shut up," she nudged him with her shoulder. "That's the last time I let you see me get praised."
The tunnels narrowed slightly as Ari and Lily made their way deeper through the corridor system, the buzz of activity behind them fading into distant echoes. They turned a bend and passed into one of the lesser-lit tunnels. Faint bioluminescent moss glowed along the walls, casting a soft green hue across the path.
Ari glanced down at the patterned resin lines etched into the tunnel walls—subtle navigation markings he'd only recently learned to interpret. They were heading toward the Caretaker Sector, where younger ants were raised and trained before taking on their castes.
Ari's antennae twitched. He slowed slightly.
Five ants stood ahead, just off-center from the path—broad-shouldered, rigid in posture, with the unmistakable three-petal insignia etched into their left shoulder armor: Corporals.
None of them moved as Ari and Lily approached. One of them—dark-toned shell, shoulders held unnaturally still—had his hand resting on the base of his mandibles. Not in readiness, but not far from it either. His compound eyes were fixed on Ari, unblinking.
Another Corporal adjusted his stance slightly as they passed, his leg clinking on the dirt tunnel below his feet just enough to be heard. The rest simply stared. Quiet. Still. Heavy presence without a word.
Their expressions weren't curious. They weren't cautious.
They were cold.
Ari kept walking, gaze forward, pretending he didn't see how one leaned slightly as if to track his steps. He felt the back of his neck tighten.
"Don't let it get to you," Lily murmured beside him once they were a few paces past. "Some ants are glad that you're here. While others…Have different views."
Ari glanced sideways. "Yeah. I noticed."
She exhaled slowly. Don't worry they won't make a move and if they do you'd easily take them down. Most of them don't say it aloud, but it's about where you came from. Or didn't come from, technically. If I had to guess I think that group is from the warden's division. A few of them were trained by Chief warden Seth and Deputy Chief Warden Darren personally before Anastasia scooped you up from the outskirts a couple of months back."
Ari didn't respond.
Lily shrugged. "They don't act unless they're told to. But they make it clear how they feel."
He nodded slightly, though the unease didn't leave. The memory of the Corporals' glares stayed imprinted in the air behind them, like something left unsaid that might come back sharper.