Ari moved through the meadow at a measured pace, his greaves parting stalks and broad petals as they brushed past his legs. Flowers of uneven height crowded the path, their pollen lifting on the wind and clinging faintly to his exoskeleton. Above him, sunlight slipped through drifting clouds, breaking into narrow bands that slid briefly across his shoulders before fading.
As the greenery thinned, the earth hardened beneath his steps, soil giving way to bare stone. The land dipped sharply ahead, revealing a maw cut into the ridge of black rock. The shelf above it was scarred and lightless, drawing in the sun rather than reflecting it. Ari stopped at the threshold.
Beyond the entrance, the interior offered no shape or depth—only a heavy blackness that pressed outward, carrying with it a faint, cold draft.
So this is the Hollow Foundry of Shadows…
A slow breath moved through Ari's chest, steady and controlled.
The small formation of soldier ants emerged from the meadow behind him, roughly thirty-five in number. Their advance ended in unison as armored feet struck the earth and fell still, the vibration fading into the ground beneath them.
A shift in the air followed. Seraphina descended first, orange-and-black wings folding in with a controlled snap as her feet touched down near the entrance. The movement stirred loose dust around her. Nytheris followed without haste, black wings drawing tight against his back as he landed soundlessly beside her. Two more guardian butterflies dropped from above moments later, settling behind them as the meadow fell quiet once more.
"So, this is the Hollow Foundry? My, my... it seems my 'dear' sister was right for once; it really was tucked away in our blind spot. It's almost charming, in a wretched sort of way."
Seraphina brushes a speck of dust from her wing, her blue eyes gleaming with cold amusement. "No wonder that tyrant managed to get the better of her."
"Listen up," Quinn's voice cut cleanly through the quiet as she stepped forward, her gaze sweeping the formation. "We're entering the moths' lair. Stay sharp and stay alert—this fight won't resemble anything you've faced before."
She drew in a breath as she squared her shoulders, eyes hardening. "As the commander made clear, the threat is at least sergeant-grade. Do not attack independently. You move together, or you don't move at all. Is that clear?."
The formation held steady, armored feet planted, antennae angled forward as her words settled across the ranks. "Yes, Corporal."
The response came in unison. Right arms snapped upward, forearms striking chest plates with a sharp, disciplined impact before returning to position, the line locking back into stillness.
Ari turned toward the formation and walked over, his steps measured as he came to a stop beside Quinn. "Corporal Quinn. That won't be necessary." His gaze remained steady on the soldiers, as he quietly reclaimed their attention without raising his voice.
The soldiers exchanged brief looks, uncertainty passing through the line as a few adjusted their footing against the ground. "I'll be entering the cave alone, together with Seraphina and the guardian Nytheris." A brief pause followed. "The rest of you will remain here."
"My, how bold we've become," she purred, her tone dropping to a low, melodic hum. "I don't remember giving you permission to use my name so casually, Lance Corporal. Learn your place, or I might just decide you're more useful as a specimen than a soldier."
I'm already starting to regret having her here.
The thought passed as a quiet breath left his chest, controlled but heavy, his jaw tightening once before settling back into stillness.
Nytheris stiffened his shoulders drawing tight where his exoskeleton met his neck. His wings remained folded, unmoving, but the set of his frame sharpened as he faced Ari. "Explain this." The words came level, without heat. "Entering a moth stronghold with only three of us is suicide."
A brief pause followed, breath held and released through his nose. "I thought you tunnel soldiers relied on numbers for safety. That is how you survive."
"He has a point. Are you certain about this, Ari?" Quinn stepped in closer, her stance firm, as she glanced at Nytheris. "If Magnus is as powerful as the Butterflies claim, then a direct approach won't hold."
A brief pause, breath steady. "You won't survive a frontal assault against him on your own and don't forget his swarm of hundreds of moths."
"I know that..." A short pause followed as his shoulders rose and settled with a controlled breath. "But I won't risk losing anyone from the colony."
He turned toward the cave, armored feet scraping once against the ground as he stepped forward. "We're only scouting the area." Another step carried him closer to the darkness. "I won't be reckless."
Without turning his body, he angled his head slightly to the side. "Keep your guard up.If anything happens out here, respond immediately." His attention returned to the cave as the words settled behind him.
Quinn held the side of her head with two fingers, eyes tightening. This ant is reckless. Arrogant. She folded her arms. But… for some reason, I can't help but believe his words.
"You two keep watch above." Ari paused at the threshold and accepted a long line of bioluminescent fungi from one of the soldiers. The faint glow spread across his forearms as his fingers closed around it.
"Understood." The butterflies answered together. Wings lifted a moment later, air shifting as they rose and took position overhead, shadows sliding briefly across the stone before clearing the entrance.
The air inside the cave moved slowly, warm and damp. Water dripped from the ceiling and struck the ground in a steady rhythm, the sound carrying through the passage. The walls shifted between smooth stone and jagged edges, each surface slick with moisture.
The long strands of bioluminescent fungi wrapped around Ari cast a muted glow through the darkness, outlining the tunnel ahead and the uneven ground beneath their feet. After several steps, he reached up and broke off a short length of the glowing growth, leaving it behind against the wall before continuing forward.
Seraphina lifted one hand, fingers moving with deliberate care as she brushed away a strand of clinging silk from her dark purple exoskeleton. She didn't look toward Ari, yet she stayed close enough that her presence pressed at the edge of his awareness.
"You know, Lance Corporal… you really are an interesting one." Amusement lingered in her tone, light and unguarded. She turned her head at last, blue gaze traveling over him without haste. "Perhaps I underestimated you."
A brief pause. "You're more… exceptional than those simple-minded tunnel dwellers."
Ari didn't react. His head remained forward, chin level, feet striking stone in a steady rhythm as the glow of the fungi slid along the walls. He offered her nothing.
Don't take the bait. She's trying to provoke you. The thought came with a dull weariness rather than irritation. Why is she doing this now, of all times?
He glanced briefly toward Nytheris. The guardian's expression remained unreadable, dark eyes fixed ahead—yet his hand had curled tight at his side, fingers locked into a rigid fist.
The tunnel opened into a wide chamber, the space expanding abruptly around them. The ceiling rose higher, shadows pooling along the edges as the glow from the fungi struggled to fill the open area.
They reached the center of the lair. There was nothing but a natural rise of rock shaped like a throne, its form built from thick, hardened layers of stone stacked unevenly upon one another. No Magnus. No moths. Only the damp stone beneath their feet and the quiet pressing in from all sides.
Nytheris slowed, then came to a stop. Something is off... The thought settled as he scrutinized the chamber ahead, his posture tightening.
"Oh my… would you look at that." Seraphina lifted one hand and brushed her orange hair back from her face as her attention swept through the open space. "Not a moth in sight." Her gaze returned to Ari, steady and assessing. "Seems your intuition was correct, ant."
"Don't patronize me." The words came flat as Ari stopped near the center of the chamber. His eyes tracked the worn stone and drifting dust, the conclusion settling quickly.
This place was definitely inhabited by moths...
Seraphina moved without warning. Her hand snapped to her side, the thorned whip clearing its sheath in a sharp motion as it cut through the air toward Nytheris. The barbs caught the green glow of the fungi, flashing as they passed.
Nytheris reacted on instinct. His body shifted back just enough for the strike to miss its mark, but not cleanly. The whip's edge grazed his face as it passed, heat flaring along his cheek a heartbeat later. A thin line split the skin, blood welling as his jaw tightened and his feet slid across the stone to regain balance.
"How dare you attack me." Nytheris turned fully toward her, one hand lifting as his stance set, the sting along his cheek still fresh where the skin had split. "What do you think you're doing, aiming that weapon at me."
"Seraphina, what are you doing?" Ari stepped in and reached for her shoulder. She brushed his hand aside without hesitation. "We haven't confirmed the Moonveil Blossom's location," his voice stayed level. "We don't have answers from him yet."
"There's no need for discretion anymore." Seraphina's voice stayed level as her hand tightened around the handle of her weapon. "No need to gather intel. No need to hesitate." She held Nytheris in a predatory stare, her chin tilting just enough to signal her intent. "We know the truth now. He's nothing more than Magnus's pawn."
"You threaten me." Nytheris straightened, dark eyes hardening as his jaw set. "Is that what you're implying?" A brief pause followed, his voice tightening. "After all these years serving as your sister's guardian… this is how you repay me?"
"You can drop the act." Seraphina's tone stayed cool as she lifted her chin slightly. "You said it yourself—you served her for years. I knew you then. You were never this vulgar. You never once fawned for sympathy"
A brief stillness settled. "This is a waste of time. Savor your final breaths... since they'll be your last." Her blue eyes held on him, sharp and unwavering.
"How could I betray the Kaleidoscope." Nytheris's voice dropped, tight and controlled. "I've served and lived among you for over a decade. I found Ignatia. I protected her with everything I had." A pause followed as his jaw clenched. "And this is what was planned for me?"
"You still do not understand, do you?" Ari's voice remained level. "We were certain of your intent the moment we stepped into this cave." Ari shifted his weight. His armored feet clicked against the damp stone floor. "So I'll explain it."
His gaze stayed on Nytheris. "From our first encounter, something did not align. When you landed that night in the forest, you were the only Butterfly present with black wings and a near-black exoskeleton. None of the other guardians or Monarchs shared that trait. The resemblance to moth physiology was obvious."
Another pause. "You were also unharmed after a battle that left Ignatia severely wounded." He continued without raising his voice. "And your initial response to me wasn't caution or assessment...It was hostility. Immediate."
A short silence settled. "That tells me I wasn't accounted for in your schemes. An unplanned variable." His posture remained unchanged. "That's why your demeanor shifted. From calm and respectful toward your Monarch… to hostile toward me."
"You accused me of working with Magnus. That was unusual." He continued evenly. "Was it an attempt to redirect suspicion? Or was it because you realized I was going to put a rift in everything you'd been plotting?"
"So that's it...?" Nytheris let out a short, dismissive sound. "That is what makes you think I betrayed my Monarch?" His lips curved faintly. "Don't make me laugh."
"If that had been my only proof… I would have abandoned my suspicions right then and there." Ari reached up and loosened the fungi vines coiled around his neck, drawing them free and letting them settle against the stone at his feet.
"You should be familiar with a Butterfly guardian named Garren... right?"
Nytheris paused at the name. The stillness lasted only a moment, but his dark eyes sharpened before settling again.
"He was injured in the battle against the moths in this meadow and was treated in our recovery chambers. He told me that when his squad was ambushed and impaled to death by the moths above the meadows that night, he caught a glimpse of you, within the canopy's shadow, looking down at them. And you did nothing."
"Can you hurry this along? Your explanation is starting to bore me." Her hand settled at her hip, posture loose, patience thin.
Ari felt irritation rise at her remark, then forced it down. He drew a slow breath before continuing. "I also know you left the colony that night under the excuse of patrol. In truth, you were meeting with a moth. You may have noticed an ant squad following you. What you didn't realize was that they saw the meeting clearly. A moth, and you, above the forest. The black exoskeleton was unmistakable."
Nytheris's jaw moved once, then went still. His black wings shifted slightly, a shadow passing over Ari before disappearing.
"And that was the final piece I needed to be certain. The Hollow Foundry of Shadows is nothing more than an abandoned cave. So why name it as a threat?"
"During that meeting, you proposed the southern burrows without being prompted. You claimed to have seen moth activity there, yet you never reported it to your Monarch before that moment." Ari's hand rested at the hilt of the mandible sheathed at his side, grip steady, voice unchanged.
"Though that doesn't matter, because that meeting was a decoy." Ari folded his hand, closing his eyes. His antennae went still as his breathing settled.
"What do you mean…?" Nytheris's dark eyes narrowed slightly as his antennae angled forward.
"Did it ever once occur to you that our force was too small to win against Magnus and his moths?" Ari opened his eyes, gaze steady in the dim light. "You must have known this would end one of two ways. Either we accepted our fate… or we already knew this place was desolate."
He shifted his weight, armored feet settling against the damp stone. "As we speak, our main unit—led by Ignatia and Commander Valeria—is heading to the southern burrows." His eyes remained on Nytheris, unblinking. "It seems to me you already knew the moths were there. Coming here only confirmed it."
A brief stillness followed. "So this is checkmate, Nytheris."
How was that? I hope I sounded at least a little like the detectives in those novels I used to read.
The thought settled in as Ari felt a quiet sense of satisfaction, his posture remaining composed despite it.
Nytheris let out a short laugh, one hand rising to cover his eyes. His shoulders trembled once, then again, the sound growing louder as his breath hitched beneath his palm. "To think a mere ant like yourself figured me out… after I spent years unnoticed by the Monarchs."
When he lowered his hand, his dark eyes were sharp, the corners of his mouth still pulled upward as the laughter faded unevenly. "I didn't expect that. I'm impressed."
"But you fools are wrong about many things." Nytheris's shoulders eased as he straightened, wings settling behind him. "For one, I never betrayed Monarch Ignatia."
His dark eyes lifted fully now, focus steady. "I was never on your side to begin with." A brief pause followed, the air in the chamber hanging heavy between them. "And I am not Magnus's pawn."
One corner of his mouth lifted slightly, the expression restrained rather than playful. "I only used him. It made achieving my goals easier."