Insect Tamer's Ascension-Chapter 356. Hive link’s after effects
While Theo rested, he began noticing that something about everything seemed off.
’I feel like my vision is a lot more clearer... but there is something more, something that I can’t put my head around at the moment... hmmm.’
’The spatial ability was supposed to let me sense spatial distortions and everything related to that within three meters around me... That’s why I could see inside the baron... and the ants...’
Theo could tell something was happening to his perception and his eyes. While he had expected for some changes to happen, experiencing them still felt weird.
He glanced to his left and saw the massive gate. Even now, he could see faint, newly colored strands swirling around it. But he knew the gate wasn’t within his three-meter radius.
If he wanted to understand what was wrong with the gate or what he had perceived earlier, Theo needed to get closer to it.
’But if my spatial sensitivity did get better with this evolution... won’t that mean approaching the gate might be overwhelming?’
Theo couldn’t help but think that. But, one way or another, he had to approach near it if he wanted to return to his family.
’And it’s passive too... so it’s supposed to be getting better with every passing second, right?’ he thought and checked his status only to see the ’0%’ had increased to ’15%’.
Theo let out a quiet sigh of relief. It was working, at least for now.
’Ant queen, my mind feels a lot better now. Bring the entire hive toward me. I want to check each type’s evolution,’ Theo commanded, making the ant queen nod.
At that moment, Theo suddenly realized something... 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺
He had completely forgotten about the mantis.
’Mantis, did you go hunting again?’ Theo asked through the bond, only to receive nothing in response.
He sent a few more commands. Still nothing. It was as if the bond had been closed completely.
Just as panic began rising in his chest, the ant queen sensed it and sent him a series of some unfamiliar images, things Theo didn’t know.
’YOU GOT MANTIS IN THE HIVE LINK TOO??’ Theo was shocked beyond measure.
He quickly tried to check the mantis’s status through the bond. It still showed as his tame, not even a partial one.
’What happened to it?’ Theo demanded, making the ant queen urge him, in one way or another, to look near the camp.
Theo turned toward the campfire and scanned the area around it. At first, he saw nothing unusual, but soon his eyes caught sight of something crimson lying on the ground like a discarded piece of cloth.
Without thinking about anything on his end, Theo got up and staggered toward it.
’What the hell...?’ Theo muttered.
Something was wrong. He couldn’t tell what the problem was, but he couldn’t walk properly.
It felt like his center of gravity had shifted, throwing him off balance. Even though he believed he was moving in a straight line, Theo kept on stumbling here and there.
Yet he didn’t care about that.
He approached the crimson beast, and before Clara could rush over to support him, Theo collapsed near it.
When he saw the mantis lying limp on the ground, something inside him twisted painfully.
He couldn’t describe the pain that was spreading through his chest, but he gently lifted the mantis up.
There was no status anomaly listed about the mantis. There seemed nothing abnormal with it.
And yet, Theo could see it clearly, a slight change in its body.
Two more slim strips ran along the mantis’s back. Where flowers would usually bloom before, there was nothing, as if the mantis had consumed them entirely.
Then, in that very moment, Theo felt a faint flicker of static-like energy surge from the mantis’s body only to be absorbed by his own.
He quickly checked the mantis’s name, which, unlike the ants’s, hadn’t changed.
But a lot at the end of its status, there was something that was even more endearing.
[Evolution Potential: Detected]
Theo didn’t read anything further and looked at the girl in front of him, trying to get his attention. But at the moment, all that felt like gibberish to him until he forced himself to focus.
"Clara... how long has it been like this?" Theo asked, his eyes filled with pain.
When Clara saw him, she lowered her head briefly before answering.
"Since the same time as you, young master... But the baron said it’s still breathing from all around its body because insects breathe through their body..." Clara added the fact in the end thoughtfully.
"It doesn’t exactly breathe through its body, but I get what you’re saying," Theo corrected her instinctively despite being concerned.
Clara crouched beside him and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"It’s going to be okay, young master. The mantis just needs rest, alright?" She stated, making Theo meet her eyes and slowly nod.
He got up, still holding the mantis carefully in his hand, and started walking with a hand around Clara’s shoulders.
Only then did Clara that Theo had already grown taller than her, at just 11 years old.
All the chaos around them hadn’t allowed them to think about these menial things before, but a gentle smile bloomed on Clara’s face seeing her young master grow healthily.
Theo quickly reached his sleeping area and lay down, placing the mantis beside him.
He patted its head a few times, silently making it believe he was close to it and there was no need to be scared.
But soon, exhaustion pulled at him too.
And just like that, both the tamer and the tamed beast fell into a deep sleep, like a log for many, many more hours.
What Theo didn’t realize was that he had subconsciously summoned all the ants, and they surrounded him the entire time he slept.
The ant queen ordered the ants to form a circular formation, leaving just enough space for Clara and Elias to approach Theo if needed.
Even so, with so many ants scittering around Theo, Clara had to steel her heart just to step close.
When Theo finally woke up again, it seemed like night had already arrived, but all he could see were flickering strands of spatial energy illuminating faintly around him and from the ants.
It was about time he checked what the other ants had with them.
