The ground cracked open, dirt giving way like rotten cloth. Buzz and Zza tumbled as the fused Queen's glow pulled them inward. The air shook with her voice again, cutting through every scream around them.
"Mine."
Buzz hit the dirt hard. His claws ripped furrows as he tried to anchor himself. Zza's silk yanked him back before he slid too far, her body pressed against his side, both of them shaking.
"Buzz!" she shouted. "She's pulling us in!"
"I feel it!" His claws burned, his shell splitting deeper. His voice cracked, raw and furious. "She thinks we're hers? She doesn't get to claim me!"
The world around them warped. One blink and the battlefield blurred into shadow. Scarabs, Centipedes, Glowbeetles—they all smeared like ash in wind. The Elder's web sagged above them, torn into threads.
And then it was gone.
They stood inside her.
