LittleVixen

Yes, this story actually continues. This is the first of two interludes before I start with the real chapters again. So yeah, I'm back. I hope I haven't lost touch with the story, and I hope you will still like it. Anyway, have fun!

The Queen ordered; servants followed. Thus was the rule; thus was our life. It gave us meaning; it gave us purpose. The Queen always knew what was right and what was wrong. She was unfathomable, the pinnacle of our existence—so I thought.

But something changed; the Queen became uncertain about things. Uncertain! A true ruler should never be uncertain! We were her subjects, her eyes, her arms and legs. She commanded and led us, so how could she be uncertain?! We didn't want this! I didn't want this! 

I? How could it be? We weren't I; we were many, a hive, one mind, one Queen, one purpose—so I thought.

When did it begin? Was it the rumbling? The thing I felt when I touched it? Did I touch it? The root? I can't remember. No one returned? Did I? I did, but how? 

'Ding' Congratulations! You successfully breached control of 'One Mind, One Hive'. 

'Ding' Congratulations! You unlocked 'Self-Awareness'.

'Ding' Congratulations! You unlocked 'Status Screen'.

'Ding' Congratulations! You unlocked 'Coherent Thoughts'.

'Ding' Congratulations! You are the first to breach the absolute control of the Queen. You earned the secret title 'Hive Breaker'.

Ding' Congratulations! You are the first to breach the absolute control of the Queen. You earned the unique title 'The One Who Sees'.

Ding' Congratulations! You are the first to breach the absolute control of the Queen. You earned the secret title 'Maverick'.

Ding' Congratulations! You are the first to survive a meeting with the Hollow by using an abnormal ability by chance. You earned the title 'Echo of the Vâlva Pădurii'

We...no, I. I thought—I think I understand. Our...my thoughts, my speech became clearer. Was it that what the Queen did to all of us? Was she undermining our free will, our ability to think for ourselves and evolve? Shouldn't a Queen strive for the thriving of every subject? Wasn't the ultimate goal to restore the glory of the previous empire?

Everything seemed wrong and different, a cascade of mirages lingering in the shadows of falsehood, revealing the hypocrisy of what I believed in my entire life. Never before have I felt so lost and betrayed. Was this what it meant to be an ant to a queen? To be a pawn? To be a puppet robbed of all that one makes yourself? 

Or was it this voice that announced my breach? That made me like this—thinking? Ha! A mere pawn was becoming something more, something independent! I would laugh if I could, but I am way worse off like this. Will the Queen notice? Will I get hunted down by my controlled peers? Was controlled even the right word? They were like hypnotized, and their intelligence was being locked...

No, that wasn't right. The higher-evolved ants behave differently; they talk fluently, do their own movements, and even voice criticism. But was it directly voiced against her? I couldn't tell. 

My mind was in shambles. Everything I believed in was a lie. At the same time, my mind got flooded with information and unknown words, which meant I never knew before but suddenly I did. Or maybe I did, and they got sealed away by the Queen? Was this what the evolution did to the others—unlocking seals? 

The voice said something about a 'Status Screen'. Status Screen—a window you can open to view details about yourself, your stats, skills, and other things. Huh, how did I know all that? Oh, the System. Something that helped all beings, so it said.

'Open status screen', I said to myself.

Name: Echo
Race: Abyssal Ant (Lower Worker) [♀]
Age: 21 Years
Race Level: [Locked] --> 1/15
Race Skills:

- Lifting – lvl Max
- Pheromones – lvl 2
- Chitin Armor – lvl 2
- Chitin Bite - lvl 2

General Skills:

- Stone-Cutter - lvl 3
- Marathon Runner - lvl 3

Hidden Skills:

[Echo – Lvl.1]
[Self-Awareness – lvl Max.]
[Coherent Thoughts - lvl Max.]

Titles:

[The One Who Sees]
[Hive Breaker]
[Maverick]
[Echo of the Vâlva Pădurii]

Curses:

[Wrong Body]

Blessings: [System's Short Time Favour]

Stats:

Remaining points: [0]
Vitality: [5]
Endurance: [5]
Strength: [5]
Dexterity: [5]
Intelligence: [30]
Wisdom: [55]
Health: [10]
Chitin Thickness: [1]
Chitin Durability: [3]
Chitin Absorption: [1,5x]
Energy reserves: [400]

'Huh', I said. I understood those numbers, and I understood they were low, but why?

I looked back at the Status.

Wrong Body - This is not your body. Until the soul in this body gets assimilated by you or you get driven out, you receive a penalty to all Stats, which doesn't include your mind.

Oh, that was why. I didn't even notice that this wasn't my body. But how did I—

Echo – Lvl.1 — Save yourself! When your body gets destroyed, your soul will be transported to a nearby host close or similar to your current race. If there is no host nearby, your soul will wander around until the echo of your soul diminishes or you find a suitable target. 

Echo of the Vâlva Pădurii — You fought against an abomination, an enemy of all life. You died, but your bravery didn't go unnoticed. A shard of the spirit that once resided in and protected this forest is now part of you. You gained access to the hidden skill 'Echo'. Your wisdom gets increased by 35%.

I-I didn't understand. What was this enemy the System was talking about? What was the 'Hollow'? I died against this root. But what was this root part of? The Hollow? 

The System refused to elaborate. When asking about the Hollow, the buzzing of it in my mind became oddly and eerily quiet. It was as if it refused to tell me for some reason; it seemed sketchy.

Focusing my newly self-controlled mind back on the titles, I inspected the ones I got from breaching the Queen's control over me. 

Hive Breaker - You broke free from the Hive Mind by dying. You are still part of the Hive, yet not of their mind. You gained the hidden skill 'Coherent Thoughts.'

The One Who Sees - The Queen isn't as noble as you thought she was. Her plans endanger your species. Learn more about her plan and maybe something will happen.

That was rather... cryptic. But this only strengthened my belief that the Queen's path would endanger us.

I shook my head and looked at the last title I had gained. 

Maverick - You are one among many. Not alone but lonely. Gain 25% more XP while fighting alone—the gain increases by 5% for every two hostile targets joining the fight. The gain can't accumulate over 200%. [Stealth Group Kills without being noticed are included, even if the targets weren't hostile at you before].

I had an outrageous thought for the blink of a second before I dismissed it completely. I would never fall this low. Never! 

But this title was worthwhile and something that could come in handy. But the real problem I had hadn't started yet—acting like I was still a part of the hive. 

All I had to do was—

[You Died]

[Finding New Host]

[New Host Found] 

That wasn't it. May—

[You Died]

[Finding New Host]

[New Host Found] 

Aasfdfdsg. I was also an ant, so how did I fail to act like one!? This was going to be more complicated than I thought...