Morning arrived with the soft hum of Glasswing wings.
Ethan woke to something tickling his antenna.
"...Five more minutes..."
The tickling continued.
He swatted at it instinctively.
Instead of hitting the culprit...
He accidentally flung a sleepy Glasswing into a patch of moss.
The tiny creature bounced twice before sitting upright, looking thoroughly offended.
"..."
"...Sorry."
It crossed its tiny forelegs.
"...You're actually pouting."
"I believe it is."
"...I've upset a bug."
The Glasswing turned its back to him.
"..."
"...I deserve that."
Across the chamber, Pip was already awake.
The little mole had somehow organized his "treasures" into neat little piles.
"This one's shiny."
"This one's extra shiny."
"This one's shiny but emotionally valuable."
Ethan walked over.
"...Emotionally valuable?"
Pip proudly held up the rusty spoon fragment.
"It was the first treasure I ever found."
"..."
"...Okay."
"I respect that."
The Shellback Burrow Squirrel immediately attempted to steal the spoon again.
"HEY!"
The chase resumed.
"...Every morning?"
"Likely."
"...I can live with that."
The worker ant nudged Ethan's shoulder.
He immediately understood.
"Food."
Ant Instinct had definitely improved.
Not words.
But concepts flowed much more naturally now.
"Yeah."
"We're running low."
The Hidden Nest felt like home...
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But homes needed supplies.
After a quick breakfast of sweet sap and a handful of seeds, Ethan gathered everyone near the entrance.
"...Alright."
"We need a plan."
Pip tilted his head.
"...What's a plan?"
"..."
"...You just dig until something works."
Ethan stared.
"...That's... surprisingly concerning."
He began drawing in the dirt with one foreleg.
"This is the nest."
He drew a circle.
"This tunnel leads to the sap cavern."
A line.
"This one goes toward the old colony."
Another line.
Pip leaned in with fascination.
"...You can draw?"
"...Everyone can draw."
"...Not like that."
The worker ant watched quietly.
Though she couldn't understand the map...
She instinctively followed Ethan's movements.
"Our biggest problem..."
Ethan tapped the circle.
"...is food."
He pointed to Pip.
"You said you know these tunnels."
Pip nodded enthusiastically.
"I've dug all over this area!"
"Perfect."
"Is there anywhere nearby with reliable food?"
Pip immediately pointed northeast.
"Oh!"
"There's a Root Orchard!"
"..."
"...A what?"
Pip's eyes sparkled.
"Giant roots grow through a huge cavern."
"They leak sweet sap."
"Little fungi grow everywhere."
"There are beetles."
"Worms."
"Sometimes fruit falls through cracks from the surface."
Ethan's eyes widened.
"...That sounds amazing."
"It is!"
Pip's smile faded.
"...Except..."
"...Except?"
"...Something lives there."
Of course something lived there.
Why had Ethan even hoped otherwise?
"What kind of something?"
Pip shivered.
"I've never seen it."
"I only hear it."
"Hear what?"
"...Singing."
The chamber fell silent.
"..."
"...Singing?"
Pip nodded.
"Really pretty singing."
"...Whenever I hear it..."
"...I run away."
Ethan looked at Iris.
"...Please tell me that's normal."
"It is not."
"...Fantastic."
The worker ant stepped forward.
She tapped the map with one foreleg.
Then pointed toward herself.
Then Ethan.
Then Pip.
"Together."
Ethan smiled.
"Yeah."
"Together."
A notification appeared.
New Quest
A home cannot survive without food.
Explore the Root Orchard.
Secure a reliable food source.
Beware...
Not every beautiful place is safe.
Reward: ??? Failure: Hunger.
"..."
"...That failure condition is refreshingly honest."
"I strive for accuracy."
An hour later...
The small group stood at the tunnel entrance.
Ethan looked back at the Hidden Nest.
Glasswings buzzed around the seedlings.
The little stream trickled peacefully.
The moss beds waited for their return.
It really did feel like home.
"...We'll be back."
The worker ant confidently marched ahead.
Pip hurried after her, adjusting his crystal goggles.
The Shellback Burrow Squirrel hesitated.
Looked at the nest.
Looked at Ethan.
Then stuffed an acorn into his cheek and scampered after the group.
"..."
"...He's coming too?"
"He appears to have adopted you."
"I didn't agree to that."
"I do not believe he requested permission."
The four unlikely companions disappeared into the winding tunnels.
None of them noticed...
The King's Mark behind them pulsed once.
Very faintly.
As if watching them leave.
The journey to the Root Orchard took nearly two hours.
Pip proved to be an excellent guide.
"Don't step there."
He pointed at what looked like ordinary dirt.
The worker ant tapped it.
The ground collapsed, revealing a deep sinkhole.
"..."
"...That would've been bad."
"A little."
"Don't touch that mushroom."
"Why?"
"It explodes."
"..."
"...Why?"
"No idea."
The squirrel poked it.
POOF!
A cloud of bright purple spores engulfed him.
He stumbled out a second later...
Completely purple.
Silence.
Then Ethan burst out laughing.
"..."
"...You look ridiculous."
The squirrel glared.
The worker ant gently patted him on the head.
A tiny Glasswing landed on his now-purple helmet.
Even Pip couldn't hold it in anymore.
"Hehehe..."
The squirrel stomped away with as much dignity as a purple, helmet-wearing burrow squirrel could manage.
The laughter faded as the tunnel widened.
Warm golden light spilled through the opening ahead.
A sweet aroma filled the air.
Pip slowed.
"We're here."
Ethan stepped out of the tunnel...
And forgot to breathe.
An enormous underground forest stretched before him.
Roots thicker than castles descended from the ceiling.
Golden sap flowed down them like waterfalls.
Massive mushrooms glowed between the roots.
Strange fruits hung from vines despite there being no sky.
Hundreds of tiny creatures moved peacefully through the cavern.
For the first time since arriving in this world...
Ethan saw an ecosystem thriving.
Not surviving.
Thriving.
"..."
"...It's beautiful."
Then...
A soft voice began to sing somewhere deep within the orchard.
Gentle.
Melancholy.
Ancient.
Every creature in the cavern immediately stopped what it was doing.
And bowed.
Ethan's smile slowly disappeared.
"...Who's singing...?"