The shaking soldier and General entering the Queen's chambers hear a voice.
"Monster Tamer, discovered by the 172nd General of my colony and sole controller of a monster. Is that correct, my child?" chirped an elegant voice. On all sides, this ant, the Ant Queen Aritsu, is guarded by monstrous-looking ants. The soldier looks on in amazement, a single question crossing her mind. Are those defiants?
"Yes, our Queen, your words carry no falsehood. I have borne witness to the facts personally," replies the general while prostrating herself. The Queen observes her children, activating the skill 'Colony Control' to learn about the pair. When her eyes fall upon the strange worker, she instantly realises something is wrong.
"Very strange, very strange indeed. This worker is nothing but strange. It possesses no level but registers as my child. Yet I have no control, this is truly strange indeed," chirps the Queen in an amused tone.
As the room's pressure begins weighing on the soldier, she begins, "Your Majesty-"
"How wonderful! Soldier, our colony is young; such a gift is nothing short of a blessing. Sadly, you're too weak currently," the Queen contemplates for a moment, then pops a question, "Would you like to become my princess?" All the ants in the room are left dumbfounded, none more than the soldier. Seizing the silence, "You would be reborn and rule next to me. My first princess, none more worthy than one who tames monsters. I would finally have a princess to grant the name Ari to. How wonderful would it be?" muses the Queen. All the ants wait in bated breath for the potential princesses' answer. Left in shock, the soldier does nothing but stammer in thought.
All in the room await the soldiers' answer to their Queen's sudden proposal. Beginning to be crushed under the pressure, the soldiers' legs buckle, and their mandible shakes violently.
"Y-y-your Majesty, I can't possibly be" began the soldier before being interrupted.
"I hope you don't believe yourself worthy, that would be quite the insult to all those in this room," declares the Queen in a playful tone. Adding to the pressure, the Queen monologues, "Nobody in this colony is more worthy than one who commands such a powerful asset. Especially not some random babe just born, such strength is most befitting of yourself. We can't allow you to fall in battle due to weakness, can we?" The Queen shuts down any excuse the soldier has to refuse.
After some time stammering over her words, the soldier manages a short "I-it'd be my honour, your M-Majesty," causing all the ants to stamp in applause. After a short celebratory chirp of her own, the Queen dismisses everyone and beckons their to be princess to follow.
The Queen leads the soldier through her colony, eventually arriving at every ant's birthplace. The soldier looks around, marvelling at the quality of the room where all her sisters were born. The Queen crosses the boundary within, passing by two defiants who guard the entry. The soldier goes to step in, her body suddenly screaming with intense pain. Her vision went dark, her legs numb. The Queen lets out a beautiful chirp, enveloping the soldier in warmth. As she stammers into the room, the strange worker approaches behind her. Without so much as waiting for permission, it enters unfazed, amusing the Queen with its continual surprises. The air of amusement vanishes a moment later, as the Queen begins to explain.
"Level 3 soldier, Monster tamer. In our colonies' most sacred place, you shall blossom into a princess. I shall explain the process that will transform you. From this day forth, abandon the moniker of soldier and proudly call yourself by the name, Ari."
The Queen beckons Ari to listen as she begins to explain the purpose of a Queen. They are to lead their colony, dedicating themselves to endlessly birthing more workers. When they dictate the time is right, they select one egg to raise as a princess. This one would stay by her side, learning all she can, and one day develop into Queenhood. Unfortunately for Queen Aritsu, she personally did not have a mother but rather was born by chance. She wishes not to leave the next colony in the hands of fate. She then explains more about the skill 'Colony Control', which allows a Queen to learn about her children with a glance. However, through the sacrifice of a mystical energy, 'Skill Points', Queen Aritsu unlocked another ability. By activating 'Colony Control: Rebirth', she can reverse the life of an ant, returning it to her womb. When the reverted child re-hatches, they retain their memories. Placing a hand over Ari, she activates the skill, kindly whispering a sweet goodnight as Ari's consciousness fades.
Cracking creeps across the surface of a cream cocoon, allowing a thin black leg with smooth curves to escape. Several similar legs escape the cocoon, paving the path for their host to emerge. This ant is far larger than the typical soldier yet smaller than the Queen. Her features are more refined, and two transparent wings adorn her back. Observing the world again after her rebirth, Ari takes a moment to adjust. Gazing around, she spots her worker accidentally falling when trying to reach them. Not yet used to her body, she uses pheromones to call the worker for aid.
Ari worries for a moment that she lost control after her rebirth. In the next second, her doubts vanish; the worker begins changing. Its legs explode with muscle, and a tail slithers out. Upon its back, an indent forms, and a fence made of claws sprouts around it. Awkwardly approaching the tail, she notices strange indents. Slowly, she ascends the staircase of flesh, arriving at an unexpectedly cushion-like back. She feels her weight shifting as her special worker begins to advance, causing her to fall over. Ari releases another stream of pheromones, requesting her monster to take her outside for fresh air.
Having enjoyed her share of fresh air, Ari sees the world in a new light. From atop her special worker, who to her shock grew its size to that of a general upon reaching outside, Ari observes the world. Having finer control over her new size, she peers over the edge, her initial fear of heights quickly conquered. Ari enjoys the experience of being carried far above the land, not having to worry about being killed while gathering food any longer. Suddenly, she detects a danger pheromone and quickly pinpoints the origin.
"Um… what's your name? Let's call you Monri. Some of my sisters- other ants are in danger. Could we go save them and maybe… let me try to fight?" requests Ari through pheromones to the monster. Without a moment wasted, Monri turns, beginning to bolt towards where its master dictates.
A group of ants led by a strong soldier are engaged in combat with an unusual creature. This thing is larger than the ants, covered in a strange form of fur growing off thin bones. It mercilessly gobbles the ants up with its hard, triangular mouth. This creature is called the 'Imitator Sparrow', a dangerous bird that lures in ants by mimicking their chirps. Through the use of their powerful talons and mighty wings, this bird causes the ants to freeze in fear. Just as the soldier's life meets its end, their antenna picks up a strange scent.
Through pheromones, the soldier reads "Save them Monri!" before a shadow is cast over her. Her inevitable death doesn't come. Opening her eyes, she sees the imitator sparrow, freshly skewered by a disfigured spider leg. All the ants shake in fear at seeing the new threat before them. This fear is suddenly soothed when a figure appears from atop the monster, asking if they're safe. They have never seen this ant, yet they know her on a primal level. All the surviving ants bow, humbling themselves before the princess they never knew existed. In perfect synchronisation, the ants confirm their okay, referring to Ari as 'Your Highness'.
The giant monster lowers its head to the ground, and the princes promptly descend. Upon reaching the ground, Ari realises the ants are prostrating, making her slightly uncomfortable.
"T-there is no need for bowing. I only just became a princess, such formality is still rather embarrassing for me," nervously chirps Ari. As all the ants' eyes fill with admiration, Ari feels the need to do a good job. "Monri, take care of the corpse, please," orders Ari through pheromones. Ari intends to take the corpse home as foodstuffs, yet the others' reactions portray disbelief. Creeping her gaze around, she checks, stunned by the sight. The monster's body has been reduced to slithering tendrils, forming a cocoon around the bird. She stumbles back in disbelief, too stunned to answer the ants' questions. An eyeball shoots open on Monri's cocoon, showing Ari her own reflection. "W-what is happening?" thinks Ari as countless eyes stare at her.
Assuming the situation is dangerous, the ants move to protect their princess. Their acts of carrying her off startle Ari, causing her to respond too late. The cocoon of eyes perceives this as kidnapping. Several tentacles tipped with spikes slice through the air. Sensing the imminent danger, Ari breaks free and shields herself. The weight of the tentacles causes her legs to buckle. She sends a command to Monri to stop, but to her shock, it doesn't change anything. Blow after blow, pain shoots through her body; it takes all she has to warn the other ants to retreat. One of her legs breaks, her focus is lost, and her guard becomes vulnerable. A tentacle seizes the opportunity, right for the head. As Ari begins collapsing, the tentacle stops, an eyeball growing from the limb. Ari and the eyeball lock eyes; the sense of being judged quickly instils within her.
As Ari lies there being judged, she is unable to think of what to do. She hears loud footsteps behind her, a familiar chirp filling the air. The 172nd ant general, the same who brought her to the Queen, was charged to save her. In horror, she watches the tentacles twitch, understanding what happens next. With all the means available to her, she tries to warn the general. Tendrils zoom through the air, colliding with the general. Unlike Ari, it can defend effectively, slowly backing away with each blow. The tendrils stopped. Creeping forward, the general is once again attacked, but the blows stop when she backs away. Ari's message reaches the general, and they realise Ari is safe. Deducing that the tentacles can't go out of a certain radius, the general makes a decision. She informs Ari that they will lock down the area and seek advice from Queen Aritsu.
A horde of ants encircles the fleshy cocoon, comprising mostly soldiers and five general eviction ants. These ants appear to be waiting for something, which seems to arrive as they make way. Passing through the gap and entering attack range comes a giant ant. It possesses a sharper exoskeleton than the rest, the only thing sharper being its expression. This ant is one of thirty defiants, who, while normally larger than wolves, are currently shrunk. Countless tendrils attempt to slice this ant. Expertly using its exoskeleton and legs, the defiant dice all the attacks. Its blood red eyes, containing black veins, glare at the fleshy cocoon. The defiant then unleashes a deafening screech, stunning the attacking monster.
Unfazed by the attacks from Monri, the defiant calmly advances. As it approaches Ari, its pace slows, eventually to a stop. The menacing air around the defiant lessens as it bows its head towards Ari.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, First Princess Ari. I am Elchi the 11th, evolved, defiant eviction ant, and charged with your safety by her Majesty. You appear to be in a rather precarious situation. Would you like me to remove you from it?" questions the defiant, unfazed by the resumed tendril attacks.
Worriedly, Ari chirps, "Are you okay, Elchi? You're taking quite a lot of blows… I-I think I'm okay for now, so please get to safety," is all she managed before suddenly being enveloped in squishy darkness.
Ari feels a squishy warmth as she sinks into an abyss of muscle. She can only barely hear the frantic chirping outside, and her body doesn't move. The warmth fades, and cold takes over, as the streams of flesh begin changing. The grotesque sight doesn't fill Ari with fear or disgust, as only one word fills her mind. Beautiful. She admires the beauty of the sight before her, overwhelmed by its complexity and strength. Yet most of all, the pair of shining wings that began forming captures her heart with their radiant shine.