"Brother! You're huge!''
"Brother is bigger than you!''
"Yeah! He can beat you all up!''
Small and faint voices awakened my consciousness from the abyss of darkness. One by one, my sense assaulted me like informing me that they are now under my control. I could now hear the arrogant and boastful voices of my siblings. I felt something moving from my back and I instinctively move my limbs and raised my self from the ground.
"Brother is awake!"
"Brother! Beat them up!"
The last sense that activated was my sight and I opened my eyes to see 3 warrior ants in front of me with worried expressions can be painted on their ant face. They were gazing not to me but on top of me. But when they sense me moving, I felt their gaze and others landed onto me.
"Welcome back Kaiser. I congratulate you for your evolution."
Edona's voice was heard. She greeted me verbally which made me turn on where she is and found here right in front of me. "Aren't you smaller than before queen Edona?" I asked. She's she supposed to be towering over me but now my level of sight was just as tall as her head.
"Yeah! You're so small!"
"Brother is bigger!"
"Guys stop that! Or she will forbid us from entering the food chambers!
"Sorry! "
Two of my siblings was obviously disrespecting and comparing me to Queen Edona and Kaisa reprimanded and warned them. Kaitron who doesn't even talk was the one who apologized when he heard about the food chambers. Wait? Edona is small? And I'm bigger? I darted my gaze on the red ants beside Edona and recognised their armor like body as the one of the greater warrior ant's.
"Queen Edona? What is happening! "
"Ohohoho. You have no idea? Sorry i haven't told you as I didn't expect for you to haul almost all of the kills. Those experience and mana you have absorb boosted your evolution progress. You are now a greater arcane beetle."
Edona announced. I evolved! I heard about evolution but I didn't expect mine to be this fast! I raised one of my claw like limbs whose just a sharp limbs before. Now, it was a long black shiny limb! It's a razor claw! And when I gaze my vision up, I could see my thick trunk with two pointed branches!
"Did I really evolve? "
"Yes, your size compared to us is the evidence. Thanks to you, the gaian termites was successfully annihilated."
"Yeah! Brother beat them up!"
"They're not match for brother!"
Krono and Kiro's voice resounded from above me." You guys, when did you learn to talk a lot?" A giggle was released by Edona catching my attention back to her.
"I thought them few words while they were away and they are very fast learners. Your family is really peculiar Kaiser. "
After Edona's statement, I felt boastful and proud aura emitting from my back. When did they become like this? I grumbled internally.
"Kaiser, we would be glad to have you here for the mean time but can I ask you of What would you do now?"
After Edona's question, it made me contemplate about what would I do. Sure it was nice here in the ant's den but I don't wanna rely to much on them even though I could say I saved them. Maybe, I'll stick with my first plan and explore the outside world with my siblings. I would test out this body outside.
"I will travel this land along with my siblings and find other Beetle's group."
"I'm afraid you can't find a group of beetles. Your kind don't form groups after all. Adult beetles lives alone with their partner and they only take care of their offspring when they're small. After they grow up, those offspring will be an adult and travel alone until it finds it partner."
Edona stated. Is that so? I thought it would be different in this world. Then even if we found other beetles, they won't form a group with us. Also, if my siblings grows up, I don't want them to leave me. Maybe I am thinking wrong as I'm still applying my previous world's knowledge on this one.
But if that's what would really happen in the future, I'll just have my siblings to decided for themselves.
"I would still travel then and explore this world."
Edona nods at me. "I wish you good luck then. But for the mean time, please stay as long as you want here in our den. We will accommodate your needs as long as it is within our power."
"Thank you very much. What I want the most right now is knowledge and information of places beyond this forest." I honestly answered. I would like to hear every informations she could offer.
After more talks about gratitude, I told my siblings that they can go again at the food chambers while I talk with Edona. First, she told me of the regions she knows. Those are Keldron and Hashnor in north, Hestion and Zugavion region on the northwest. The humans settlements she knows are the Hestion Kingdom of northwest and Kraveron empire, Steele, Rayvon and Kreydon Kingdom which is known as the holy trinity alliance of Kingdoms. All mentioned aside from hestion Kingdom where from the north. Edona don't know much about these empire and Kingdoms but what she knows was all of them are ruled by a saint. So one of the 4 existing saint are ruling in the north. And that saint deemed beasts as no different from the demons of Vraler region. She only knows about the region's name and that demonic beings reside in it.
Needless to say, Greater species of insects and wild beast are demons for the Keldron and Hashnor regions. We might not want to encounter them. The closest Kingdom in the northwest forest of Gashnor which is the name of our forest, is the Hestion Kingdom. All she knows is that Hestion Kingdom is a small and not much powerful Kingdom who is constantly under the threat of the Kraveron empire. The said Kingdom don't want to accept the views of the empire and serves under them so we can say that because of that, the empire keeps bullying this tiny Kingdom. Then, there is a possibility that those Knights who attacked John's villages are from the north. Let us not jump into conclusion. We would certainly exact our revenge to those whose responsible.
The last information she could give me about the geography of this world is the gaian crater. She said that those termites who attack our forest was residing close on the crater. Not much known about the giant crater so she couldn't tell me more.
Because there isn't much about the geography that she could tell me, I change the subject into religions. It shocked me when she ask me what is religion? That word doesn't exist here? I digress about the subject and just ask her about the gods people of this world worship and the word God doesn't exist too! She just told me that most creatures here are worshiping powerful figures such as saint and sages. I am really surprised. I myself wasn't sure if gods exist but to think that the word religion and god doesn't exist here? It's not like it's important to me, but it just kind of unbelievable.
Changing the topic again. I inquire about their empress. Her name was Crizeldra. And the most powerful ant. She said that their empress achieved her humanoid form which made her more powerful just decades ago. She also added that their empress resides in Aero forest on Sheiron region in the west.
She only rules the red ants though and some black ant nearby his territories. Many said that there are many ant territories across this continent but the north and west regions are widely known for how powerful are ants there. They say only few insect species can achieved humanoid form. Although beast and the likes always achieved their. But if you compare a humanoid beast and humanoid insect in terms of power and prowess, the insect would definitely win. It is because of how hard it is to attain for our kind.
Of course saints and sages are stronger than humanoid insects. But Edona said that Crizeldra was more powerful than most newbie sages . It's because of her experience. I wonder if I would ever reach that stage of evolution. It's easy to evolve into greater species but to arrive at humanoid form, it's like you need to multiply the experience you gain evolving into greater by hundred thousands. For insects of course.