NOVGO.NET Chapter 449: He hasn’t woken up since then.
Chapter 449: He hasn’t woken up since then.
“Will they be fine alone?”
Kael questioned with a worried look on his face as he stared at the Ants who had all moved in different directions.
The Whisperveil Ants had many uses, but they weren’t particularly strong—they were actually on the weaker side of things when compared to other Beasts of their rank. This was the reason Kael felt hesitant to let them wander alone.
Imperia, however, was different.
“They will be fine, Father.”
The Mother of All Ants answered confidently.
About four hours had passed since the lunch’s announcement, and right now, Kael, his Children, and Lavinia were in the Shrouded Wilds—the forest region right below the Kingdom in the Sky, Zephyria.
What were they doing here?
It was because of the discussion Imperia and Lavinia previously had.
More Ants.
Now that Imperia’s Ant Empire had stabilized and there was enough food for everyone and more, it was time for them to get more Ants—especially the Whisperveils—to expand their information network and spread it beyond the Wall in a way that they would know every single thing happening in the Ashen Heights.
Of course, to physically create that level of network, the number of Ants needed would be in the millions—a number difficult to acquire and sustain, even if they had Imperia.
But at the very least, having about fifty thousand more Ants was still realistically possible.
And this was the goal of their journey—finding a few Whisperveil Colonies that Imperia could assimilate into her Empire.
Of course, the Shrouded Wilds was a vast forest, almost five times as large as the Ashen Heights. Exploring the entire forest would take days, that too when done at a high speed, which wasn’t possible since they also had to look out for the Zephyria Kingdom hovering above them.
At their current level, it would easily take a month for them to safely explore the forest—time they did not have.
Fortunately for them, the group had Imperia with them.
Obviously, the Mother of All Ants wasn’t planning on roaming around this depressing wilderness that didn’t see the sun at any time of the day just so she could find more Ants.
Her plan was much simpler.
The Whisperveil Ants had a racial trait of being able to communicate with their kind if they were within the required range, and this trait did not just apply to Ants of their own Colony.
Two Whisperveil Ants belonging to different colonies could communicate with each other if they were close enough.
Imperia, using this trait, selected fifty Whisperveil Ants that would act as her representatives. These fifty Ants would each move in a different direction and continue forward till they connected with another Whisperveil Ant. Once connected, she would then spread her influence in the new colony, successfully recruiting them into her Empire.
“Would the other Whisperveil Colonies give in so easily?”
Lavinia questioned curiously.
As much as she trusted Imperia and admired her resourcefulness, all of this felt… too unproblematic to be true.
“I am their Mother. Of course they would.”
Imperia nodded confidently.
“I understand that but…”
Lavinia tried to counter but couldn’t think of the correct words.
Imperia, however, just shook her head.
“Humans and Ants are essentially different, Lavinia.
Ants do not crave power like Humans do. Ants follow a strict hierarchy—a Worker Ant will follow the words of a Soldier Ant, a Soldier Ant will follow the Queen—and this hierarchy will not change under any circumstances.
There is no betrayal, political fights, or ’battle for the throne.’ Everything is decided through strict hierarchy and—
I stand at the very top of that hierarchy.
No Ant Queen, from any Colony, will stand against me.
That simply is not possible.”
The Mother of All Ants explained, and Lavinia just… sighed with a tired smile.
“That sounds oddly relieving—a world with no political fights and battles for thrones.”
“Humans cannot replicate this system. They are biologically more complex than Ants.”
Imperia directly shook her head.
“I know…
I know that well.”
And the Mage nodded.
Soon, however, she thought of another question—
“Are you sure fifty Ants will be enough to find more colonies?”
“Yes.”
Imperia nodded.
“The Whisperveils do not hide from their own kind. Even if they belong to two different Colonies, Whisperveils often approach each other if they sense a connection, and considering how the Whisperveils spread around a specific region, my Ants only need to get close to their regions to establish the connection.”
“How much time would it take?”
Kael asked another question.
“If we are fortunate, a few hours; if not, then maybe two to three da—”
Imperia paused in the middle of her answer, making Kael and Lavinia frown. The Ant then looked into her Father’s eyes with a grim look on her face and—
“Father, something happened in the Heights.”
She informed him in a solemn tone, making the couple stare at each other as a sense of foreboding enveloped Kael’s heart.
“…what is it?”
…
About three hours later, back in the Heights, the Elders’ Council was deathly silent. Not a single person said a word; no one even breathed too loud.
The large round table that once echoed with arguments and pride now felt like a grave.
Every Elder sat in their seat, but their eyes did not meet.
Each of them stared down at the table—some at their hands, some at the floor.
Even Draksis, who had returned with his right arm wrapped in black cloth, sat with his head lowered. His face was pale, his jaw set, but he did not speak. Yes, not even he—the one who always had something to say—could find words today.
Across the table, Korvath sat straight, but his shoulders were tense. His fingers kept curling and uncurling around the table’s edge. His iron composure was still there, but his eyes showed guilt—a deep, bitter guilt that no discipline could hide.
Morvain, the Matriarch, sat at the head of the table. Her cloak looked heavier today, and her face… it looked grim.
They had all gathered here for a few minutes now, but the Matriarch hadn’t said a single word. She only stared at the door, waiting for the ’rest’ of the members to arrive.
And soon, they came.
The doors opened slowly, and Kael walked in first, followed by Lavinia.
The two of them still weren’t ’officially’ told what had happened, but every Elder knew that they knew.
And because of that, none of them could meet their eyes.
Kael clenched his fists at their reactions. The Elders thought he was blaming them, but truthfully, Kael was only blaming himself.
If… if he hadn’t gone to the Shrouded Wilds, this could have been prevented—he could have saved them.
This thought ate him up, but Lavinia, who knew what he was thinking, secretly held his cloak from behind, signaling him to hold himself together.
It wasn’t Kael’s fault.
They needed more Ants, and they needed them as soon as possible. This was the only free time they had for themselves, and they decided to move.
As for what happened…
Lavinia didn’t want Kael to blame himself. They had already warned the Council—it was they who couldn’t wait for a few days and ended up with… this situation at hand.
Seeing Lavinia’s face, Kael too collected himself. Yes, he blamed himself, but for now, he needed to keep a poker face.
The Dragon Rider slowly walked in, his boots softly clicking against the stone floor. Lavinia walked beside him, her cloak trailing behind, her eyes remained calm and sharp.
The two stopped near the table, their eyes sweeping across the room once, and finally—
“Kael… Lavinia…”
Morvain spoke. Her voice, however, was much heavier than normal.
“Sit.”
She ordered.
Kael and Lavinia nodded and sat in their seats. This entire time, the two completely ignored Draksis, whose eyes were stuck on Kael as if he were planning something.
For a moment, the room was silent. No one wanted to say the first words—not even Morvain.
And finally—
“What do you plan to do now?”
Kael questioned, staring at Morvain.
He knew the situation was bad.
Seventeen Soldiers who went to hunt on Korvath’s orders were killed—only one out of the party of eighteen managed to return alive, and that too with injuries so heavy that he would not be able to continue as a soldier.
It was a tragic loss, especially considering that these were the Velmourn army’s finest men—the elites.
There were only about eighty to a hundred soldiers of their caliber in total. Losing eighteen of them was…
It wouldn’t be wrong to say that it was one of the biggest losses the Velmourns had incurred in decades.
And the worst part?
The winters were only beginning.
“What did ’he’ say?”
Seeing that Morvain didn’t answer, Kael decided to ask another, easier question. Morvain stared at him for a moment and then shook her head.
“Not much. He only told us there were about a hundred Stormcallers who ambushed them. The numbers overwhelmed their party—they couldn’t escape even if they wanted to.
His entire party and two of his three Bonds had to sacrifice their lives in order for him to escape.
And when he came here, he was heavily injured and passed out after the initial conversation with the soldier who found him.
He hasn’t woken up since then.”
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