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Kai collected them, figuring they might help him. He also needs to give some star crystal to Princess Mia. The rest was lost to the rubble. Suddenly, In a rush, his mind changed and he got very angry. He cursed Darius with quiet rage. "Bastard!!! You did this. You left us to die. But I’ll live, and when I do, I’ll kill you with my own hands." Each piece of star crystal in his storage felt like a potential stepping stone to vengeance.
An entire day passed in darkness, punctuated by the flicker of Kai’s torch. He used skill after skill to stay alert, but mostly he needed to rest. Vexor remained in a feverish half-coma state, sometimes stirring but not speaking. Renna’s breathing was thin, and he had lost two legs. Kai worried that the ant might never fully regain consciousness.
Yet he kept faith, carefully cleaning Renna’s wounds again and changing bandages. The sense of isolation hung heavily. Kai found their scraps of rations in tattered packs, rationing them so the invalid ants might survive if they woke hungry.
By the end of the second day, the gloom weighed on him. "Should I try to carve a path out alone? But leaving them... no, I refuse." The darkness around them pulsed with an oppressive heaviness, the memory of Lomar’s death, and the predator’s roars fresh in his mind. Kai also buried Lomar’s body in the corner of the collapsed mine. After that...
Kai fought off despair by focusing on small tasks: reorganizing the star crystals, sorting out herbs, and reviewing the system’s stats. Thanks to Lomar’s essence, his stats soared by an extra +30. The sense of power gave him hope of revenge.
Finally, on the dawn of the third day in that tomb, Vexor groaned, eyes fluttering open. Kai rushed over, helping him sit up. "You’re alive," he said quietly, relief flooding his voice. Vexor’s wounds had scabbed over, though the cracks in his exoskeleton left him weak.
"Where... is everyone?" Vexor rasped, voice dry. "We... fought the predator. Then... everything collapsed. After that I don’t remember anything." He sees Renna beside unconscious. He already knew Thren self sacrifice. Then he asked, "Where is Lomar?""
Tears rimmed Kai’s eyes as he replied with a low voice. "Lomar is gone. He didn’t make it." Vexor closed his own eyes in grief. "And Captain Darius? Did he come back to help us?" he asked in a trembling voice.
Kai’s antennae bristled with anger. "He left us to die. Why would that bastard come back? The mine entrance is sealed. We are stuck."
Vexor’s shoulders sagged. "So he abandoned us. A traitor. But... maybe we can still escape. If we work together." Kai offered him some water, helping him drink. Then they both turned to see if Renna stirred. He was still in a deep coma, but he was alive and breathing faintly. "He’s missing two legs," Kai murmured, feeling a sharp sorrow. "But I refuse to give up on him. We all will leave together. I don’t want to leave anyone behind."
In that quiet vow, Vexor’s eyes softened. "You’ve changed, Kai," he murmured. "You used to be... well, more introverted. Now, you have a deeper drive." Kai simply shrugged, mind swirling with the memory of Lomar’s sacrifice and the aura he had absorbed. "We have no time to dwell on that. Let’s see if you can move enough to help me carve a path out."
Though stiff with pain, Vexor managed to stand, leaning on Kai for support. They tested small passages in the rubble-choked corridor. Rocks tumbled, dust billowed, but with steady patience, they chipped away at a potential exit.
Some lumps of star crystal got dislodged and fell into their hands, but the main goal was to clear a route to the surface. Finally, many hours later, they managed a small opening that led to an old side tunnel.
Kai turned back to Renna. "We can’t leave him," he insisted. "He’s helpless." So, with determined arms, Kai lifted the unconscious male ant onto his back, bracing to carry him. Vexor steadied a torch, guiding the path.
Slow step after slow step, they squeezed through the newly carved tunnel. The darkness was oppressive. Now and then, pebbles fell from above, making them fear a fresh collapse. Yet the two pressed onward, hearts set on returning to the open world... whether day or night outside.
At last, their path angled upward. A breath of cool air kissed their faces. The final pile of broken stone gave way to a small crack of open sky. With a grunt, Kai hoisted a chunk aside. A swirl of fresh night time air flooded in.
Their antennae quivered with relief as they wiggled free from the collapsed mine, emerging onto a rocky slope under a canopy of stars. The forest loomed in the distance, but the immediate area was a lonely hill scattered with debris from the cave-in.
They made it out.
Kai sank to his knees, carefully laying Renna on a flat patch of ground. Vexor exhaled a shuddering sigh, pressing a hand to his chest. The moon’s soft glow revealed their battered forms. No sign of Darius, no sign of beast or other saboteurs. Just the quiet hush of nature at night. They had survived the betrayal, the four-star predator, and the crumbling mine. But at a tragic cost.
Kai glanced around. The area was deserted, so he found a slight rise on the hillside to serve as a temporary camp. They built a small fire using dried branches. The gentle flames cast flickering shadows on Renna’s unmoving figure.
With each passing hour, the tension drained from their shoulders, replaced by exhaustion. By the time dawn broke the next morning, they felt a pinch of renewed energy. The cool morning light revealed farmland in the far.. far away distance, and beyond that lay the uncertain path back to the Ant Kingdom.
Yet the day’s first rays did not bring untainted hope. Renna still lay unconscious, injuries severe. Vexor was functional but far from recovered. They had no illusions about the difficulties that awaited them on the journey home.