“Well… I suppose so… the species I am born to is named the Blood Beatle. As for the information, there was plenty.”

---Are pauses for a few seconds, obviously thinking of what to say

“Well, at any rate, was the information that Ridlis provided you beneficial for your plans Are?”

“Mmm…? Oh, indeed Ant Queen, I found myself filling many gaps in the information I possessed of this world… Unlocking many… unavailable paths to pursue in the future.”

---The Queen ant grows suspicious of Are and plans to question him but is cut off by Are

“Might I ask if these ants are the escort that I had requested by chance Ant Queen?”

“Indeed they are. These are my most loyal and experienced warriors. I have chosen each one specifically…”

---Are began to walk up to Ant Queen with a serious air around him

“What is it Are…?”

“I have learned and comprehend the principles of life and of the soul. Of those of great power, those of opposite nature are created, in such a sense they must never meet lest their natures clash. In the case where two of strength are led together outside the tide of destiny, their spirits shall clash. Our spirits are two, our flesh is two, but the hive is one. For these two to exist only will it beget destruction of this hive and thus cannot be allowed to come to pass.”

---Are’s words instantly put Ant Queen and the other soldiers on guard, his words speak of the conflict of the souls of a Matriarch and Patriarch. Of two spirits born to lead, there is but one hive betwixt two, their spirits destined by the world to clash until one is destroyed.

They are incompatible in every right, Are’s existence is something that should not exist, he was the very Yin to Ant Queen’s Yang. While it wasn’t apparent to Ant Queen, Are had realized that for some reason, he had broken the normal flow of the world, and had become the opposite of Ant Queen’s spirit.

They are beings that should never have met based on the tides of destiny, yet, he survived his death as a larva and had come to the point where he now conflicted with Ant Queen. In a normal situation, he would have been killed and reborn far away so that the two would never meet.

Are was a rare larva not born to Ant Queen, and thus had never been within range of her. It was because Are was who he was, that he had defied the law of nature, and had done something taboo by the fabric of the world’s desire. When he received a pop up with three options, what he saw told him his hunch was correct.

While this is the situation as Are sees it, the Queen ant, however, sees it as Are’s plan to destroy her and subjugate the entire hive for himself. She had braced herself to resist Are, but what happened next took her by surprise.

Are, the being who, to her point of view, had just declared that he was about to remove her from the equation, was standing perfectly still. Just as she was about speak, Are began to speak again.

“Of the three paths of Transcendence passed to those of the Patriarch, The nature of the world [Independence], The path to power [Subjugation], and the path to which defies the laws of the world and defies the tides of destiny [Symbiosis], I place my will upon the path that defies those who would dare to define my existence! SYMBIOSIS!”

---Upon saying this, a panel appears before Are

[>]: [Independence] [Subjugation] [Symbiosis]

When it appears, the title [Symbiosis] glows and the panel disappears.

A flash of light occurs, followed by a blue light enveloping Are’s body, his eyes glowing a golden hue. Energy pulsates through the entire room as Are begins to speak. His voice echoes a thousand times with every word. The room begins to rumble and the ants throughout the entire hive begin to flood in thinking their Queen is under attack.

“I stand a messenger of divinity, a guide of reality, a figment of time. I hath chosen to guide this one, who chooses to defy the realm of this world. For this being stands under my influence, for his is the final existence of my domain. While destroyed due to his mistake, he stands my greatest child.

As such, I spared his soul from oblivion, casting it within the tides of destiny itself to be reborn anew within the domain of my greatest rival. As he has chosen the path I had desired, I shall grant him this sole favor with the remains of my power. Once this is done, my being shall cease to exist, the last of my power lost. He is my final child, and now he stands my heir. I shall break thine ties to the strings of fate!”

*{DON}*

---The energy within the cavern begins to pulse even greater, winds from realms unknown begin to swirl within the Royal chamber. Energies of purples and reds tear through the walls of the cavern as the very fabrics of reality seem undone. From Are, the blue energy has formed a sphere of energy around him, his body no longer visible. His voice can be heard, obviously influenced by the divine spirit.

“For in the tides of destiny, we stand two of one. The tides of light, the tides of darkness. For we who stand at the pinnacle of our two races, so shall the tides be broken. I part mine soul in twain, and in twain anew. Might our spirits become one, one unto two, and upon two shall stand in one of union. A species birthed of the fabric of transcendence, untouched by the influence of divinity, unguided by fate.

Our minds be doth parted, but in twain anew. Of union doth thou stand in testament to thine agreement, our bodies shall meet to dust, our minds a thousand times parted and bound anew. A species transcended, reforged from the energies of transcendence, the energies of our darkness and light shall stand in union. Two polar energies met in union, to be shattered a thousand times, and bound to one, and of one shall birth unto two. For within the waves of time passed, passing and shall pass, few shall ever walk the walk the path of the greatest transcendence.

To walk against the flow of the world and gaze into the source of transcendence itself. Light and Darkness shall find union and completion within union, within the principle of Symbiosis. A species born, unbound by the ties of fate, unbound from the limitations of our existence, we shall become more from oblivion. WITH THIS, PART THIS SOUL FROM MINE BODY, I CAST THE CHOICE OF SYMBIOSIS UPON THE SOUL OF LIGHT, THE PATH TO BE WALKED BY IT’S CHOICE, I STAND AT THE GATE AND AWAIT ALONG THIS PATH, THE CHOICE STANDS TO YOU!”

---With this, the blue energy surrounding Are’s body begins to dispel, the energies of the divine presence fading. As this occurs, a dark miasthma begins to secrete from Are’s body. The blue energy begins to burn of black flames.

Red beams of energy begin to circle Are as the energy surfacing from him begins to surge forth. The previous distortions of the room begin to grow even more intense, it would seem that the energies of the divine being had been keeping Are’s dark energies in check during his short period of existence within that world. Now that the divine presence had begun to fade, Are’s spirit, unhinged by the actions of that very divine existence had now begun to manifest.

Within several seconds, a swirling vortex of pure energy pulsed in the center of the room, surrounded by powerful swirls of red energy that seemed to distort the very laws of existence within the room. These red swirls of energy were created by the divine being for the sake of disturbing the tides of destiny and prevent the interference with the ceremony.

To interfere with one’s creations is that to risking the fabric of their very existence. For a divine being to interfere with a single life per several decades is often the extent a divine being is permitted lest they disrupt the fabric of their very domain. In this situation, the ‘world’ or the divine being of this reality, had already once attempted to destroy Are previously, but only succeeded in deterring him from pursuing certain knowledge.

To interfere again is to risk it’s very existence, but this ceremony goes against it’s very laws of the domain, something to which undermines the will of the world’s god. As such this world would have interfered had it not been for Are’s world’s divine being’s final protection.

The energy stopped flowing from Are’s body and it fell to the floor, the husk cracking and falling to pieces as it landed. There was no sign of life ever being within the husk. The entire source of energy now lies within the vortex of pure dark energy spiraling within the center of the room.

This entire sequence of events took less than twenty seconds to occur, but it was enough time for Ant Queen to gauge the situation in it’s entirety. She realized what it was that was being offered, as well as the costs.

*{DON}*

Suddenly, swirling energies of pure white surround Ant Queen, her eyes burn a shining silvery light as she begins to speak. Her voice echoing throughout the entire Royal Chamber.

“To this will of transcendence, two stand within harmony of will. Be thine own soul split in twain, and unto me shall be thine fate be shared. Parted a thousand times shall my agreement shall remain, unbounded and bound on once more. For we gaze upon infinity, as it gazes upon oblivion, and unto such we shall anew.

I cast mine soul in harmony and union, shall now we of the Breed of Fire now forever bind of union to the Beatles of Blood. PART MY SOUL UNTO THUS, FOREVER SHALL THE TWO WALK THE PATH OF TRANSCENDENCE. OUR EXISTENCE DOTH PART OF THE REALM OF DESTINY, FOREVER GUIDED BY THE GUIDANCE OF OUR OWN WILL FOREVER WITHIN THE WAKE OF TIME!”

---At this time, Ant Queen’s body erupts into a swirling vortex of pure white light. As it appears, it is surrounded by the red energy. The Red energy expands and encompases the entire Royal Chamber. At this time, every single ant of the hive had entered the Royal Chamber.

As the last of the white energy had left Ant Queen’s body, she too, just as Are, collapsed to the floor. Her body cracking open, an empty husk void of energy. The moment this occurs, all other ants collapse to the floor in an instant, dead.

Their golden life energies flow from their bodies and are captured by the red circuits of energy pulsing through the chamber.

As the last of the golden energy is captured, it begins to form a dozen small rings to surround the two pulsing energies within the center of the room. One Black, one while. The entire room continued to pulse with a powerful resonance as the earth within the hive continued to shake and crumble.

One thousand small golden lights now danced around Darkness and Light. After a moment, the two energies, one of Darkness and the other of Light began to meld together. As this occurred, the red energies pierced into the now joined mass of energy.

At this moment, the two energies begin to swirl. The pulses from the mass of energy began to double and triple in size. The image of Yin Yang forms for a moment only to split once more into two masses of energy. This time, the Energy of Darkness knows light, and the Energy of Light now knows darkness. For a moment all pulses stop.

Several minutes pass as the red energy continues to spiral through the room.

In an instant, both energies are pierced by the red energy. The red energy which stands the representation of Are’s divine protector, begins to unite into a spiraling vortex within the center of the room. The two spheres are forcefully brought together, once more melding the two energies. For hours the two energies are bound by the the swirling vortex of pure energy, only to once more be split in twain. That which was Light and that of Darkness becoming harder and harder to differentiate with each union.

Minutes turned to hours, hours to days. The clash of Darkness and Light continued to rage, guided by the hands of the divine.

During the fifth day, it occurred.

The red energy stopped moving, within it, was a single source of gray energy. It was neither of Darkness, nor of light, it simply was. A soul without ties to justice, or of evil. It simply was. An existence outside the ties of fate, one not guided by the path of Light or Justice.

The golden energies, to which once belonged to the beings that served the hive, now began to bond to the red energy. It was in this moment that the red energy shattered and vanished. In it’s place, a fire burned upon each of these souls.

The blaze burned the golden souls blood red, forever breaking their ties to fate, forever casting them from the embrace of the world. At the same time, these spirits now followed the path of Symbiosis, no longer bound, no longer swept within the tide of destiny.

These red spirits begin to combine with one another. They begin to swirl around the this orb of energy within the center of the room and the pulses begin a new. This time, however, the energy within the center of these rings of red energy begins tremble, pulses of pure energy erupt from the epicenter that is the orb. The energy is so intense that the trees in the surrounding region begin to sway, some of the elder trees begin to collapse under the stress of such energy.

*{A FLASH OF WHITE LIGHT}*

(...)

In the place of the Orb of gray energy now stands the figures of two beings, one kneeling before the other.

The both stand upon two legs, standing atop the raised glowing stone that was once the Royal throne, emitting a glowing warmth throughout the chamber.

Surrounding these two beings are the figures of one thousand warriors, kneeling before their masters. Each of these warriors were quite similar to one another, though hidden behind a nearly complete helm of blood red armor, each held a distinct face.

Of these stood eight hundred male warriors and two hundred female. Their arms, similar to that of a humanoid, had what would seem to be natural gauntlets, their arms protected by shining blood red plates. Upon their hands were several distinct features.

One was that each of their fingers held a claw-like piece of armor, able to both be used as a weapon, and a tool for excavation. These claws are thick, but not long, only proceeding a mere centimeter from the tips of the fingers, curving slightly to form a hook at the end of each finger. The next was that their hands were also blood red, giving them a natural armor, while still providing a natural dexterity. The final was that their hands held great strength, one able to be able to crush stone in their very hands. Upon their bodies were two different types of plate-like armor.

It was segmented, very similar to that of a natural armor. Upon their shoulders were a (v) shaped plate that suited as a guard for the segments of their armor between the torso and arms. The (v) shape was a flexible piece that prevented the loss of dexterity within the limbs. The armor itself could be removed at will, and attached without the need of fastening or clamps.

It simply can be removed by the will of the one who wears it. Their armor is a part of their own bodies, each piece can be remade, or regrown. Each piece can be exchanged with others of their kind, and some of their kind possessed the ability to alter and manipulate their material to develop new armors and forge weapons from the same materials. On their legs were spike-like guards, seemingly allowing for the aid of both climbing when combined with the claws on their hands.

Each of these mighty warriors knelt, bowing their heads to the two figures within the center.

Of the two, the kneeling figure was that of a majestic knight, the lower portion of his face covered with a plate, though his eyes were that of a brave, yet kind visage. At his side is a visorless bassinet. His exposed face showed his flesh to be a dull gray with red cheeks showing vitality.

His armor was sleeker than that of the warriors around him. It was thin, but far stronger than that of the other warriors. To this knight, his armor was his second skin, being able to move just as well with it as without.

His hands lacked the same claws of the other ants, rather his own flesh was just as dense as the material the claws were made of. His torso was covered with sleek piece of armor that was perfectly smooth without any spikes or the sort. On his shoulders were similar pieces to protect the divide between the arm’s armor and the torso.

His arms were covered by a thicker piece of armor than the rest of his body. His gauntlets had a deep, deep blood red that burned with the wearer’s spirit. To cover his legs were plated greaves and doned spiked boots.

Upon his back were two blade-like figures. Each were the same color as his gauntlets and seemed to be fastened to natural hooks near his shoulder blades.

The other figure, standing above this noble visage of a knight, stood a beautiful figure. With a body and face that would surely intimidate even that of the most attractive of elves. Her figure was one of a tall but thin nature. Her body itself was slender, her bodily features in perfect balance.

Her eyes were a mixture of a silver and gold with a gaze that would captify almost any lesser being. Upon her head was a red veil that was quite ornamental, while not covering the face. This veil was actually comprised of very small interconnected scales that allowed for it to move as if it were cloth.

Though if one were to strike at it with a normal weapon, one would find your weapon to fail to pierce and infact losing it’s entire edge in the process. The veil was, however, soft to that of a gentle hand. Beneath this veil showed faint signs of hair. It was the color of a light brown mixed with silver. Her entire being was that of a noble beauty, her kindness radiated from her entire being with an almost indomitable aura.

The standing figure stood with her hand yet still grasped by the kneeling knight.

Nearly a minute had passed since the Orb had breached into this captivating scene such that only seen in a mythical book or grand tale.

The first to speak is the figure standing before the knight.

(???) “We are one, and we are two. What shall you stand as, and what shall I be?”

(???) “We are one, and we are two. You stand as my Queen, my everything, I shall stand for you, as you stand for me. We are one forever. Give this body a command, and forever shall it be done.”

The kneeling figure then looks up to meet the face of this standing visage of beauty and grace, the other’s eyes looks back at him. A warmth is cast throughout the room as the two each hold a smile upon their faces.

Then…

Both figures began laughing.

[Ant Tensei - Chapter 6 End]