It's not possible to overstate just how large an impact the incident at the Golden City had upon the Colony. For their part, the people of Atreum paid it little mind. From their point of view, the great and glorious defender of the capital had annihilated a pesky upstart, an ant gone rogue and acting alone. With the death of the offender, the empire was placated and reassured of their overwhelming power.
To the Colony, they took a very different approach. It was never confirmed which individual attacked the city, or why. Even though they continued to trade through the brathian merchant conglomerates, and even though they, on the surface, enjoyed friendly relations with the Silver City, never again did any ant set a single leg inside the city.
- Excerpt from 'Ant Relations' by Wattford.
Enid watched Anthony fall with horror. The phoenix faded away, the light fading and returning to the golden city from which it had come. Slowly, the eternal cloud returned, a halo that ringed the Atreum capital and home of the Child-Emperor.
From a great height, the enormous ant plummeted down. Even from this distance, Enid could see the smoke trail he left behind, a dark greasy stain that followed after him and stained the sky.
"We have to go and get him!" she pleaded to Eran, who had watched the entire exchange with a grim, stone-faced expression.
"It depends on where he falls," she replied shortly.
Enid turned to glare at her with stricken eyes.
"What do you mean?!"
"If he falls too close to the walls, he will land in the exclusion zone. We can't sail within a kilometre of the wall without permission."
"Damn their permission, that is my friend."
"This is my fleet. I will not risk my people! After the guardian beast of Atreum has emerged, the entire city will be like a nest kicked by a hornet! We'll be lucky if they don't sail out and claim him regardless of where he lands!"
Enid turned back and watched as the giant ant traced a downward arc. As far as she could tell, he hadn't moved.
"It may not matter," she said bitterly, "he may not even be alive."
"I certainly hope that isn't the case," Eran said softly. "I have grown fond of him myself, but what he did here could be interpreted as an act of war against the largest empire in the fourth stratum. We must be careful."
It wasn't unreasonable, but Enid had heard enough. She knew Anthony well enough to know he wouldn't have done such a thing without good reason. She turned back to the rail and gripped it tight with both hands.
Slowly, the fleet began to shift and sail towards where Anthony was likely to land, but they were still far away when he finally made contact with the surface of the lake. There was a tremendous splash, a ferocious hiss of steam, and he began to sink below the surface. All the while, the brathian mages were in constant dialogue with the city. Apparently the request was being buried in bureaucracy, as was always the case in a place as large as this. Irisod and Olivis were hunched over together, locked in whispered conversation as they negotiated mentally with the Atreum mages.
"Are we going to get him?" Enid demanded. "I can't believe we are just watching him sink to his death!"
Who knew what monsters could have been lurking just below the surface? They'd feast on him in his weakened state! Eran seemed to anticipate her concerns.
"There are no monsters this close to the capital," she told her, eyes locked on the nearby mages. "Atreum ensures the waters remain safe at all times." She paused. "Except for during a wave."
It was an anxious wait, and Enid was joined on the deck by Smithant and Cobalt, who stood alongside her, an antenna each resting on her shoulders as the ship drew closer to where Anthony had fallen.
"They've given us permission to collect Anthony's remains," Irisod the court mage informed Eran quietly.
[The Eldest is still alive,] Cobalt informed Enid quickly. [We are very confident of that.]
[Oh,] Enid said, her mental voice catching. [That's good.]
It took an hour for the brathian divers and mages to bring him up and get him aboard the ship. It wasn't easy to move something as large and ungainly as a giant ant, but the brathians' water-manipulating skills were unmatched. A fountain erupted by the side of the ship, raising the wounded monster up and depositing him upon the deck.
He was a horrific sight. His carapace, normally a beautiful, purple diamond, was burnt and cracked. Several of his legs were completely gone, and only half an antenna remained. His eyes were the worst of it, and it was clear he was completely blind.
But he was alive.
[Thanks… for picking me up,] he told them all quietly.
He sounded beyond exhausted. He radiated misery. It was clear he wanted to be left alone, but the Eran asked him questions anyway, drawing disapproving looks from Enid.
[How did you survive?] she asked. [I thought for certain you would be killed.]
Anthony didn't answer for a long time, but eventually he did.
[The phoenix…] he said heavily. [Rammon… he wanted me to… to live.]
[But why?] Eran pestered him, shocked.
Anthony didn't reply. His one remaining stub of antenna turned toward the city, and he wouldn't respond to anyone.
Unable to get any more information, the Eran could only accept it and turn the fleet around. It was time to go home.