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A few moments later... At the entrance of the healing hall, Kai saw a vast chamber lined with smooth, polished chitin panels and adorned with intricate murals of ant legends. This was his first time seeing the healing hall. Inside, an ant doctor checks his condition. After that Kai started his journey to the working ants quarters.
When he reached the quatars, Kai was met by a chorus of cheers and warm greetings. Fellow worker ants, who had long labored under the weight of hardship, now gathered around him with eyes alight in admiration and relief.
"Welcome back, brother Kai!" one of them exclaimed, clapping him on the back with genuine delight.
Others murmured words of praise and relief; their voices, though small in size, carried the heartfelt hope of a colony that believed in unity and resilience. In the gentle light of the Woking ant quarter, Kai’s battered form—now miraculously restored, every crack in his exoskeleton mended, every bruise faded—radiated the promise of renewed strength. Yet amid the jovial reunion, a dark undercurrent whispered from behind the festivities.
In a secluded corner, Captain Darius stood with his arms folded, his expression a storm of anger and suspicion. His eyes narrowed as he observed the celebrations, his voice low and menacing. "How did he recover so quickly?" he growled under his breath. "And That useless... where is Vice Captain Vex? My plans have failed... That traitor is missing." His words were a reminder that not all was well beneath the veneer of celebration.
For now, however, the colony rejoiced in the miraculous return of one of their own. The healing process, accelerated by Kai’s rapid evolution to Two-Star, was heralded as nothing short of extraordinary. Kai’s newfound potential and the mysterious, irreversible bond that now tied him to Princess Mia through the Lustre’s Mark.
That evening, as the gentle hum of the Ant Kingdom gradually gave way to the murmur of nocturnal activity, a discrete message came for Kai. It was the same guard who escorted him back– earlier this morning. The message was brief and to the point: "Kai, meet me at the location behind the gardens. I wish to speak with you.
—Princess Mia "
Kai’s heart, still steady from the day’s events, skipped a beat reading her message. With a silent nod to the guard who had just completed his duty, he excused himself from the worker ants quarters.
The corridors outside were a mixture of shadow and soft luminescence, and every step Kai took resonated with both anticipation and trepidation. His mind replayed the surreal images of the morning—the forbidden warmth, the inexplicable bond, and the vivid, intimate details that had blurred the lines between duty and desire.
The secret meeting point was tucked away behind the gardens, in a secluded alcove shielded by overgrown vines and ancient stone. Here, the clamor of the colony fell away to a hush of privacy.
As Kai arrived, he saw Princess Mia was waiting. It was a vision of regal beauty bathed in the soft glow of moonlight. Her long, golden hair cascaded over her shoulders, and her eyes, still bright with the remnants of sleep and resolve, sparkled as she greeted him.
"Kai," she said, her voice both gentle and commanding, "good evening. I apologize for my absence this morning. I was occupied with urgent matters. Now I am free, I wanted to personally congratulate you. You have reached Two-Star rank with astonishing speed."
Kai’s heart pounded, not just with the residual excitement of his recovery but with a burgeoning sense of pride. "Princess Mia, thank you," he replied, his voice low and earnest. "I... I never expected to recover so quickly. Thank you for feeding me herbal medicine."
Kai took the chance to know more about this world. She wanted to ask her so many questions but at the end he only asked, "Can you tell me how challenging it is to rank up?"
Mia’s gaze softened as she regarded him. "Most worker ants," she explained, "it’s easy to reach the first star. Almost ninety percent make it. About eighty percent of us reach two-star. Seventy percent climb to three-star, and then... the journey becomes harder and harder. Only fifty percent reach four-star, thirty percent make it to five-star, ten percent to six-star, and a mere one percent attain the seven-star rank. I, too, have been stuck among the ten percent, striving for that elusive pinnacle. To cross the seven star rank only 0.1 percent can reach that rank. Although this number sounds very small, it’s actually over thousands. Because our population is very high."
Kai blinked, absorbing her words. The harsh statistics painted a picture of an arduous, nearly insurmountable path, one that only the most determined and extraordinary ants could traverse. "I... I had no idea it was so difficult," he murmured, the gravity of her revelations sinking in.
Mia stepped closer, her presence both soothing and inspiring. "That is why I am here, Kai. When you joined the Ant Kingdom, I knew there was something different about you. I searched for someone who can help me. A shaman told me the exact day you join our ant kingdom, a worker ant would stand out among the rest—a singular spirit who could help me fulfill a great destiny. The same day, I found you..."
Kai’s mind raced with questions about destiny, duty, and the strange, unyielding bond that the system had imposed upon them. "How can I help you, Princess? You mentioned something about a shaman... about helping you in ways I don’t yet understand," he asked, his tone a blend of eagerness and uncertainty.
Mia’s eyes sparkled with a secretive light. "You are still too weak to fully grasp those details, Kai," she replied softly. "But know this: on the day you joined the Ant Kingdom, I vowed to find my true helper—a person who would stand apart from the rest. That is why I sought you out. However, I cannot share more until you reach Rank Five. Only then will I reveal everything. For now, consider it destiny."