Ari gripped the earth, his fingers digging into the dry soil as he fought to rise. His body felt weak. He pushed himself up slowly, his legs wobbling beneath him before he finally steadied his weight.
He winced, his hand moving to clutch his bruised jaw.
She said that his name was Aixen...that guy is no joke. Ari's arm trembled.
I didn't even see him when he appeared, it was all a blur. When I finally did, I couldn't react. He was too fast.
He looked down at his own hands, shaking with fear.
I might have gotten stronger in this world, but his strength... is terrifying.
He stood alone outside the colony entrance, his eyes becoming lifeless as he looked at the horizon.
Compared to everyone here, I'm the lowest of the low. Just like in junior high…
Ari walked toward the colony entrance and through the tunnels slowly. After the encounter with Aixen, he dragged his sore body back to the mines. He worked for hours. He did not show any emotion. He kept his mind blank and swung his pickaxe to make up for the time he had lost.
Hours of labor passed. Finally, Ari stumbled toward the storage line. This was the area where the prisoners and workers alike received their one and only meal for the day. He stood in the back, his legs heavy and his jaw swollen.
The line moved at a slow pace. The only sounds were the scraping of feet in the dirt and the distant report of wardens. He waited for his turn to reach the front, where a warden stood behind a stone counter, handing out small portions of food to the passing prisoners.
As soon as Ari reached the counter, a Warden stepped forward, blocking his path. The Warden held a whip in his right hand. He looked at Ari with a hardened expression.
"That's all the food that we can give out of the storage today."
Ari hesitated. He clenched his fist so hard the bones in his hand made a dry, popping sound.
"But there's a whole lot right there outside the storage."
Ari pointed a shaking finger at the resin crates piled high behind the Warden.
"What do you mean by 'that's all'?"
The Warden did not turn around. He did not even look at the food. He stepped closer, the handle of his whip creaking as his grip tightened.
"Those supplies are for the soldiers and the worker ants. Do you have a problem with the Queen's laws?"
Ari's breath came in short, jagged bursts. A heat he had never felt before rose from his chest to his throat.
What the hell...
A shoulder slammed into Ari's back, forcing him to take a step forward.
"Move out of the way. You are not the only one who is hungry."
Ari glanced over his shoulder. The line behind him had tightened, the prisoners packed close together. Several pairs of dull eyes were fixed on him.
A low voice muttered somewhere in the crowd.
"Is he a fool? Why would he oppose a Warden?"
Another voice followed, quieter, uneasy.
"Does he not know that he will face severe consequences for that?"
A brief pause hung in the air. Then another ant whispered,
"Wait… he is… a new prisoner."
A few ants shifted uneasily, their antennae lowering as they took small steps back, putting distance between themselves and Ari.
One prisoner leaned slightly toward another and murmured under his breath.
"Stay far away from that ant and don't get involved, he's on his own."
The murmuring died the moment the Warden's gaze swept across the line. Silence fell instantly. No one spoke again.
"What's with them?"
Ari mumbled, his mouth opening slightly.
Have they really conformed to this type of living....
Ari looked at the crowd behind him. Their eyes were devoid of light, sunken into hollow sockets that reflected nothing but the dim glow of the tunnels. Some face remained perfectly neutral showing neither hunger nor pity.
Ari turned back to the warden, clenching his fist.
I won't end up like them...
"I worked my full eight hours, so don't tell me that I can't get my share, or we are definitely going to have a problem."
His tone was sharp. The frustration in his chest boiled over into his words.
The Warden's eyes widened for a fraction of a second before they turned into narrow slits. He did not step back.
"You dare to threaten me? And the Queen's order? For that, I'll ensure you receive no food indefinitely."
"You son of a—"
Ari lunged forward. He rushed at the Warden, his fist ready to coil into a strike. But before he could close the distance, two small hands grabbed his arm. The grip was firm despite the small size of the hands. Ari's momentum was halted.
"That's enough, Ari. Nothing you say will convince them to give you your rations."
Evelyn stood at his side, hair falling down over her eyes, and gripped his arm.
"Anything you say or do will just make things worse, so just let it go. Come with me."
She pulled on his arm with a gentle but persistent force. Ari felt the heat in his chest slowly recede as he looked down at her. He looked back at the Warden, who was still holding the whip, his face set in a smirk.
As Ari slumped to the ground in defeat, his teeth clenched while his head was down.
What type of place is this? Why was I sent here to suffer such a fate, being a slave to these...
Evelyn sat beside him, which caught his attention. Without a word, she handed him half of her food and a portion of her water.
Ari looked at the small, grey ration. He hesitated.
"What are you waiting for? Take it."
Evelyn's antennae twitched toward him, She shoved the food closer to his chest.
"Eat. Your body needs the fuel if you plan to survive another shift in the mines. You heard the warden."
Ari slowly reached out his hand and took the ration.
"Thank... you."
He began to eat, the dry food sticking in his throat. He looked at her as he chewed.
"I thought that you already ate ."
Evelyn did not look at him. She stared at the tunnel wall, her own small portion held tightly in her hands. The dim light of the passage made the shadows under her eyes look deeper. She remained silent for a moment.
"Well, I should have finished, but when I was leaving the storage line I overheard an ant named Aixen telling the Warden to cut you from the food supply. I couldn't just ignore that."
Ari looked at her with wide eyes.
So she waited for me all this time... but why? And more importantly...
"So Aixen was the one who gave that order. That bastard."
He clenched the food in his hand until it began to crumble.
"Yes. However, there is nothing that we can do about it. We are just prisoners. We have no say in this place."
A brief pause hung in the air.
"Thank you for the food again, Evelyn. I don't know what I'd do without you."
His voice was low and soft.
"It's the least I can do. After all... you did save my grandpa's life."
She gave him a gentle smile. Then, her eyes moved to his face. Her expression shifted to one of shock.
"Oh no... what happened to you, you got beaten up pretty bad."
She reached out and touched his swollen jaw. Ari winced and pulled back.
"I had an encounter with Aixen. He was the one who did this..."
Evelyn put her hand over her mouth, her eyes wide.
"Is that really the truth?" She asked.
Ari nodded in response.
"Listen... I don't know what you did to get on Aixen's bad side, but please be careful . Aixen is no ordinary ant. You have made an enemy out of the most powerful soldier in this colony and the only captain at that."
"What do you mean by that?"
Ari was slightly shaken by her words.
Evelyn gripped her hands together, her voice remaining low.
"He was one of the survivors of the front lines of the Great War against the grasshoppers when everyone else in his unit was slaughtered. Not only that, he was appointed second in command after the war and right hand to Celeste. Though, when Emilia was young, the Queen tasked him with the duty to watch over her. He gladly took that duty, leaving his role as the mightiest soldier."
"How do you know all this?"
Ari leaned in slightly.
"All the prisoners talk. I just sit back and listen to their stories."
A faint smile tugged at her lips as she folded her arms.
"Our intel network is the only thing they can't easily take away from us in these tunnels."