After another week of the sa routine, Theo reached the three-hour mark.
He could barely handle the imnse pressure of maintaining so many connected minds at the sa ti.
With constant use and a clear goal to fulfil in his mind, he only later realized that he had already reached level 8 with the Hive Link 1 ability.
At one point, he stayed within Hive Link for so long that it felt like days had passed, only for him to realize that it had been just four hours.
Things were progressing well for him, but unfortunately, just when he was so close to reaching the five-hour mark...
He collapsed.
Theo had to rest for several days in order to recover. At tis, his mind would drift away completely, leaving the people around calling out to him in fear, unsure if he was still with them or not.
It got to the point where even the baron had to order him not to use the ability anymore.
But the mont Theo felt like he had made a slight recovery, he went in again, only to be forcefully pushed out by the ant queen, as if he wasn’t allowed back in yet.
It didn’t make sense for him.
Frustrated, he issued a command this ti. He had endured a lot by staying in there for more than four hours.
And now that he was so close, how was he supposed to stop?
So, in the end, Theo had to force his way to do it.
He ordered the mantis to guard the entrance and threaten anyone who ca closer, without harming them, of course.
Then he re-entered the Hive Link, steeling his mind.
Ti passed, and soon, Theo reached a point that his head ached more than what he could bear.
That pain wasn’t just from exhaustion; it felt like it was coming from the very center of his mind.
Even though Theo found it unbearable, the ant queen conveyed that only a little ti was left.
Theo kept pushing himself, enduring the pain.
And when he was finally at his limit, he asked how much longer was left...
Only to realize that the ant queen couldn’t perceive ti the way humans did, which left everything on assumptions. Theo felt like being curious aboout the ant queen’s lie about the ti but he didn’t have the energy.
After all this while, Theo was faced with a choice.
It was either he get out of the Hive Mind to check if it was done... or remain here for as long as he could endure.
To keep himself busy and not think about the ti, he continued speaking with the ant queen.
The presence of two new ant queens had really increased the pressure on his mind.
A sudden realization ca that Theo should have had soone to help him, he could have sent one ant to Clara and told her to speak out the ti after every hour. Yet that only beca a fuel to push forward. He made a mistake, but still did not want to co back with nothing.
At so point, Theo heard a notification sound, snapping his attention. The chi made him realize it was either an ability leveling up... or perhaps he had just passed the ti and had now broken through level 10.
But breaking through level 10 should have triggered multiple notifications instead of just one.
So, Theo waited.
_____
Outside in the real world...
Many were gathered at the entrance of the terrarium room while its doors remained open.
The Baron stood straight with a pissed-off yet concerned expression on his face. The baroness clung to him in panic, half-hugging him, while he held her firmly, knowing well that she wouldn’t be able to control herself if she saw her son like this.
Both Clara and Elias sat on the ground nearby, their faces hollow with hopelessness. Neither of them knew what to do at this mont.
"Father, this is ridiculous!" Lucien’s voice cut through the silence from the back, filled with fury. "Why are you entertaining such dangerous acts?!"
His gaze snapped toward Theo.
"Just put the beast to sleep for a while; LOOK AT THEO."
Everyone who had already been staring at Theo continued to do so.
Theo lay motionless on the ground; his mouth was hung open, and a thin line of saliva was trailing from the corner of his lips.
His eyes glowed a bright golden, but that face didn’t seem lifeless at all.
Theo’s face was twisted as if he was suffering unbearable pain.
Every few minutes, a strained, painful scream tore from his throat, just like many other tis before.
"...Honey," the baron said quietly, his voice heavy. "How long has it been?"
The baroness didn’t respond at first, and it took several gentle tugs at her shoulder before she actually managed to speak.
"A little less than 5 hours..." she said, trying to sound as normal as she could
But when her eyes fell on Theo again, it broke.
A soft whimper escaped her lips. "L-Look at our son... honey... why is he doing this to us...?"
Her voice trembled, filled with grief, enough to shake even the baron and Lucien.
No one wanted to hear the voice of a completely heartbroken mother.
"...He’s close," the baron said after a mont, forcing the words from his mouth. "We can’t stop him now. Not after he has been through so much pain already."
He spoke with a heavy heart.
The baron’s gaze then shifted toward the mantis.
And at that mont, he felt sothing.
It was as if the beast’s still, unblinking eyes were urging him forward, telling him to attack, to punch through it and save Theo.
When the baron felt that while looking at it, the mantis moved its head again to check on Theo, just as it had already done countless tis before.
But no one noticed the pain it, too, was going through.
_____
Inside the hive mind...
’MORE MORE MORE MORE MORE MORE MORE MORE MORE ...’
Theo’s voice echoed as he relentlessly kept on chanting that one word inside the hive link.
The ant queen remained right beside him, along with the entire ant colony connected through the hive.
There was only one emotion that dominated throughout the colony.
Fear.
Every ant that had been born in the past few months, every one above level 8, could feel Theo’s condition with overwhelming dread.
In their eyes, this journey had been unbearably long.
And that was what the ant queen kept reminding Theo of, trying to keep him motivated.
But Theo’s vision began to blur, even within the Hive Mind.
He knew he couldn’t hold on much longer.
’MORE...?’ he asked himself, doubt creeping its way into his heart.
The pain had reached the point where he felt like he was getting used to it. It wasn’t increasing... but it didn’t lessen either.
Then...
His eyes suddenly darted to the side.
Sothing had just entered the Hive Mind without permission.
Through his blurry vision, Theo saw a red beam of light rushing toward him. But his eyes were so blurry that he could not make out what it was but a ray of light.
And then...
Nothing.
That was it.
He couldn’t see anything anymore.
He couldn’t feel anything anymore.
Theo’s body felt half-dead, and doubt began to creep into his thoughts.
But then, a voice echoed within his mind.
Emotionless. Genderless. And strangely non-human.
"LEAVE."
---End of Volu 2---
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