Chapter 214: Flashback of Ant Kingdom
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Five Days Earlier. Eastern Forest, Royal Court of the Scarlet Ant Kingdom (Princess Mia / Thea Kingdom).
The eastern sun had barely crested the obsidian trees when the vast, vaulted chambers of the Scarlet royal court stirred awake. Twin pillars of ironwood framed the main hall, their surfaces etched with generations of triumphs and tragedies. Crimson torches of fireflies burned along every column, feeding slow streams of scented smoke toward a ceiling lost in shadows. Golden banners depicting the crest of the Crown. It was a stylized mandible flanked by twin spears. It hung motionless in the hush.
Normally the court was a place of militant efficiency. Scribes scuttled across polished basal floors, chronicling decrees. Courtiers muttered reports of trade convoys or skirmishes on the northern borders. But this morning an unease crept through every word and footstep. Rumors had reached the palace that another Rift Gate expedition had collapsed. Some teams had limped home with glory and many treasures. Others... had never returned.
On the throne, high above the congregation, sat Queen, Mother of Mia and Thea. She was an Eight-Star royal Ant, her body shimmering like garnet beneath dawn’s glow. Eight faint aura rings Stars orbited behind her shoulders like blood-red halos. To her right stood Princess Thea, eldest daughter. Her armor was polished, posture rigid, obsidian ponytail braided with silver chains. To her left stood Princess Mia, second daughter. She wore lighter armor, blades crossed behind her back, eyes less haughty, more wary. One step behind Mia lingered a cluster of highborn ladies and low level scribes who took notes on wax tablets.
At the foot of the throne dais, six dukes and eleven ministers recited dry reports: grain quotas, fungus harvest yields, the price of iron husks from merchant beetles, and the total collection of the honey. Queen listened without blinking, her aura so perfectly controlled that not a flicker escaped.
But Thea vibrated with impatience. Finally, when the last minister closed his parchment scroll, she stepped forward and bowed.
"Queen-Mother," she said in a carrying voice, "we dispatched my specialized units into the Rift Gate near Sulfur Basin. It has now been nine days—and the Gate collapsed two nights ago. Other beast clans have reclaimed their teams. Ours have not returned. I request permission to lead a search squad."
A visible ripple ran through the court. Whispering voices, sidelong glances. Thea’s elite knights were no small matter.