Mikhailis sat on the edge of the bed, his eyes lingering on the closed door. Elowen had left earlier to attend the usual morning council etings. She had a light step, a grace that seed so natural to her, even in the stiff formality of a queen. It had been three days since he'd given her the glasses, and everything seed to be changing, even if only a little at a ti.
She ca back earlier from work, usually around seven in the evening now, rather than her usual nine or ten. She even seed happier these days—less burdened, more at ease. The glasses were clearly helping her.
He leaned back, smiling to himself. He knew it was just a small thing, but for Elowen, it seed to an the world. They had dinner together every night now, which was sothing he found he looked forward to more and more.
He glanced around the room, and it felt strangely empty today. Lira was in the kitchen, helping with preparations for the upcoming lunch—sothing about an important guest. That left Mikhailis alone. He grabbed the remote, flicking on the TV, and after flipping through channels, he settled on an ani he'd been wanting to catch up on.
He chuckled at the over-the-top antics on screen, the heroes shouting attack nas and the villains monologuing about their motivations.
This is part of his bliss, enjoying his life just like this.
After about half an hour, a familiar ping interrupted his thoughts. He knew what it was even before Rodion's voice spoke in his ear.
He sighed, putting down the remote and standing up. He stretched, his joints making a satisfying pop, before grinning.
"Finally, I've been waiting for it too, Rodion," he said. "Co on, show what's happening in the nest."
Mikhailis chuckled, walking over to the sofa and flopping down. He tapped the side of his glasses, the familiar feed coming up on his lenses as the underground chambers ca into view. These days, he rarely even bothered with his old computer—having the feed directly in his glasses was just too convenient.
He watched as the lenses displayed a bird's-eye view of the nest, with Rodion's voice narrating alongside the visuals.
Mikhailis smiled as the visuals shifted to show the scarabs moving inside their containnt area. There was sothing almost amusing about the way they moved—chanical, yet strangely orderly.
"Scurabons, huh?" Mikhailis muttered, his lips twitching into a grin. "Look at those little guys. I wonder if they'll be tough enough to surprise us."
He ignored the comnt, his attention shifting as the feed panned out to show the entire nest structure. He blinked, his eyebrows lifting in surprise. The tunnels, the chambers—they were getting bigger. Much bigger.
"Whoa... they're still expanding?" he muttered. He watched as worker ants tirelessly worked on widening one of the tunnels. They moved in a coordinated fashion, carving away the earth and carrying it away to designated disposal areas. The chambers that housed food storage, hatcheries, and even rest areas for soldiers were being enlarged, the ceiling height almost doubled.
Mikhailis frowned, tilting his head slightly. "I an, it's not like we ordered them to expand, right?"
"Or she just likes the idea of having a bigger house," Mikhailis said with a small laugh. "Can't really bla her. Who doesn't want an upgrade?"
Mikhailis sighed, resting his chin in his hand. "That egg... I can't help but wonder what's in it. Every ti I think about it, my imagination just goes wild. What if it's sothing that could be... like, a humanoid chira?"
"Yeah, I know," Mikhailis said, nodding slightly. "I guess I'm just letting my head get ahead of . Still... can't help but be curious."
He continued watching as the worker ants moved diligently through the nest, their small forms scurrying about, each with a purpose. It was fascinating, the way they worked. There was a rhythm to it—a kind of dance, perfectly in sync.
Despite the unknowns, despite the mysteries surrounding the egg and the expansion, Mikhailis couldn't stop the smile that spread across his face. He watched the queen, her massive form resting in the center of her chamber, surrounded by attendants. She looked regal, powerful.
He felt proud, in a strange way. Proud of what they'd built, what they were continuing to build. This underground empire beneath Silvarion Thalor's royal castle—it was growing, thriving. And he was at the center of it all.
But just as he was thinking that, sothing shifted. His vision blurred for a mont, his head feeling light, almost like he'd stood up too quickly. He blinked, trying to focus on the nest again, but the room seed to spin, the lines of the visuals becoming fuzzy.
"Whoa... what the..."
He didn't have ti to finish the thought before everything went black.
___
Mikhailis felt like he was floating.
It was dark all around him, an endless blackness that seed to stretch on forever. But it wasn't the kind of darkness that scared him—it was warm, comforting. He felt as if he were cradled in sothing soft, sothing that wrapped around him like a blanket.
There was a strange sensation—like he was subrged in sothing thick and fluid, sothing that cushioned him from every side. He could feel it against his skin, a gentle pressure that seed to hold him in place, keeping him still, keeping him safe.
He tried to move, but his body felt heavy, like the fluid was resisting his movents. He blinked, though there was nothing to see. The darkness was absolute, but there was sothing about it that didn't bother him. It was almost... peaceful.
He could hear sothing—muffled, distant. A heartbeat? His own? Maybe. It was steady, rhythmic, a comforting sound that seed to echo through the darkness. He closed his eyes, letting himself drift, the warmth seeping into his bones.
He felt strange—like he was in two places at once. He was aware of his own body, the way it floated in the darkness, the fluid holding him. But at the sa ti, he felt like he was sowhere else—sowhere vast, expansive. He could feel sothing around him, sothing alive, pulsing with energy.
Continue your journey with empire
It was like he was connected to sothing bigger than himself—sothing ancient, powerful. He could feel its presence all around him, enveloping him, almost like it was a part of him. It was comforting, in a way he couldn't quite explain.
And then there was a sensation—sothing soft, brushing against his skin. It was gentle, almost affectionate, like a hand running through his hair. He could feel it, even through the darkness, even through the fluid. It was like soone was there with him, holding him, reassuring him that everything was going to be okay.
He wanted to say sothing, but the words wouldn't co. He tried to move again, but his body was heavy, too heavy. He let out a sigh—at least, he thought he did, though there was no sound, no movent of air.
And then, just as suddenly as it had started, the sensation began to fade. The warmth ebbed away, the darkness seed to pull back, and Mikhailis felt himself being lifted, pulled away from whatever it was that had been holding him.
He blinked, and the darkness shattered, the world coming back into focus.
____
Mikhailis woke up with a start, his head jerking up from where it had been resting against the arm of the sofa. His glasses were askew, and he reached up, adjusting them as he blinked, trying to clear the haze from his mind.
He could hear sothing—an alarm, blaring loudly. Not just one alarm, but several, overlapping, echoing through the room. His computer, his tablet, his phone—even the small monkey-shaped robot in the corner was making noise.
"Ugh... Rodion..." he muttered, rubbing his eyes. "What's going on?"
The alarms stopped abruptly, and Rodion's voice ca through his glasses, a hint of urgency in the otherwise even tone.
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