The cavern trembled as the daughters dragged the mole's corpse into the central chamber. Its bulk scraped across resin-coated stone, leaving a dark trail of blood that glistened in the bioluminescent glow.
Riven stood waiting, hands flexing at his sides, still trying to calm the echo of phantom pain that lingered in his chest. The holographic panes dimmed one by one as the daughters returned, until only the broken body of their prey remained before him.
They dropped it at his feet with a unified kneel, mandibles clattering. The mole was enormous up close, a mountain of fur and muscle torn open by a dozen wounds. Its eyes had been reduced to ruined sockets, its belly shredded, its throat a gaping mess.
For a moment, silence filled the chamber. Then one of the scouts stepped forward. Her antennae flicked, her golden eyes fixed on him with almost childlike intensity.
"Father," her voice brushed against his mind, filled with pride.
"It bled so much when I cut its eye. It screamed so loudly."
Another, one of the Hunters, pushed closer. "When I bit its neck, I felt its pulse snap under my jaws. It was… strong. But we were stronger."
Dozens of voices echoed in his skull, overlapping, but not chaotic this time.
"It tried to fight back. I held its arm down, Father!"
"I tore its belly, Father, just like you told us!"
Their emotions crashed into him like waves—pride, hunger, excitement—all colored by the strange warmth of children clamoring for approval.
Riven smiled at them, walking up to one and running her head, ruffling her hair lightly. "You… you all did well. I'm proud."
A ripple passed through the Hive link—like sparks across water. Golden eyes brightened. Their pride bloomed so strongly it almost knocked the breath from his lungs.
"Thank you, Father!"
"Father said he's proud of us!"
"We're so amazing!"
Yalena, watching from the edge of the chamber, tilted her head, chuckling lightly. "They have never spoken like this before," she murmured softly. "Usually they do not remember who struck the first blow, who bled, who carried. But now…" Her gaze lingered on him playfully. "They remember themselves."
Riven glanced at her. "Because of me?"
"Because of you," Yalena confirmed, her golden eyes gleaming faintly.
He glanced down at the daughters still clustered around the mole's body, their mandibles twitching as they brushed against it but did not eat. They waited, patient but tense, every antenna pointed toward him.
"Permission to eat, Father," the Hive whispered as one.
"Permission to eat?"
Yalena's voice slid in gently. "They are yours to guide. If you say no, they will wait. Forever, if you wish."
He looked at the massive corpse, then back at the daughters. Some looked up at him, their eyes shining like molten gold. Others pressed claws into the mole's hide, twitching restlessly. All of them were waiting.
His claws curled into fists. He drew a slow breath.
"…Eat," he said at last, his voice low but firm.
The Hive erupted.
Daughters swarmed the mole's carcass, mandibles flashing, claws ripping into fur and flesh. The sound of rending meat filled the chamber, wet and primal, punctuated by hisses of satisfaction. Their joy poured into him like fire, flooding his veins, until he almost staggered under the weight of it.
Through a dozen mouths he tasted flesh. Through a hundred throats he swallowed blood. Through countless claws he tore muscle from bone.
The sensation was still odd, but he felt that soon he would get used to it.
❖ [Hive Feast Protocol Initiated]
❖ [Assimilation in progress… distributing genetic fragments across brood.]
❖ [Hive Lord synchrony: Stable.]
Riven glanced at Yalena, then asked quietly, "You're not going to eat as well?"
The Queen's lips curved, her golden eyes gleaming with mischief. She leaned in close.
"I'll only eat," she said softly, "if you feed me."
Riven froze, caught off guard. The swarm's feeding still roared in his mind—blood, heat, hunger—yet here she was, looking at him with the kind of radiant patience that made his chest knot.
Riven stiffened, heat creeping into his face. "Feed you?" he repeated, his voice flat, as if hoping she'd suddenly change her mind.
"Yes," she said as she leaned in even closer until her shoulder pressed against his, her tone lilting like she was teasing a shy child. "You are my brood mate, are you not? The Hive listens to you. Shouldn't I?"
He glanced away, jaw tightening. The daughters' chittering chorus of feeding only made the request more unsettling. "That's… not how this works," he muttered, flexing his clawed hand. "You're not one of them. You don't need me to tell you when to eat."
Yalena chuckled. "No, I don't need you to. But I want you to." Her hand slid along his arm, her claws brushing lightly over his carapace. "Would it trouble you so much to give me a bite, Riven? Just once?"
He exhaled slowly, resisting the urge to step back. "Yalena…" His tone held both warning and plea, but she only smiled, tilting her chin toward him.
"Come now," she teased, her eyes glinting. "You command the daughters so well. Don't tell me you can't handle feeding your Queen."
Riven pinched the bridge of his nose with one hand, muttering under his breath. Why does she have to be like this?
But when he looked back at her, Yalena was still leaning close, her gaze locked on his with a patience that felt anything but patient. She was determined, playful, and entirely too comfortable pressing against him.
Finally, he let out a resigned sigh. "Fine," he said, his voice edged with reluctant defeat. "Just… don't make it weird."
Yalena's smile widened. "Too late."
Just as Riven was about to argue further, a voice brushed gently against his mind.
"Father."
He looked up to see Arixa approaching, her steps quick and light, her golden eyes glowing with excitement. In her hands, still slick with gore, she carried something nestled within a torn heart—its thick muscle split open to reveal the faint gleam of a core pulsing softly with residual mana.
"Father," she said aloud this time, her voice tinged with pride. "This part is always really sweet and good."
She held it out toward him like a child presenting a prize, her mandibles twitching faintly in anticipation.
Riven blinked, taken off guard. The faint thrum of the core reached him even before his claws closed around it, a rhythm that almost synced with the Hive link itself. The Hive System immediately appeared in his gaze.
❖ [Analyzing acquired material…]
❖ [Specimen: Subterranean Beast Core – Tier 8]
❖ [Encasement medium: Vital heart tissue]
❖ [Quality: Fresh. Residual mana retention: 87%]
❖ [Properties: Consumption may slightly increase host vitality and physical resilience. Hive synchronization efficiency: +2%.]
Riven blinked, reading the floating screen. 'It… can boost stats?' he thought.