The Flags

Aeron continued his relentless run, the passage of time became a blur, and he lost all sense of how long he had been racing through this unfamiliar landscape. The landscape stretched endlessly before him, an unfamiliar and mysterious terrain that added to his sense of disorientation. He pushed himself forward, driven by a relentless urge to keep pace with the creatures ahead, unsure of his destination but determined to stay in the run.

The landscape around Aeron was a mix of strange and intriguing sights. Strange rock formations loomed in the distance, their shapes twisting and turning in eerie patterns. The air was thick with the scent of unfamiliar flora, adding to the sense of otherworldliness. As he ran, Aeron's senses were assaulted by a cacophony of sounds—the pounding of footsteps, the distant roar of unseen creatures, and the rhythmic beat of war drums that seemed to reverberate through the very air itself.

As Aeron ran, his mind raced with a myriad of thoughts and emotions. He felt a mix of excitement and trepidation, eager to uncover the mysteries of this new world but also wary of the dangers that lurked around every corner. With each step, he questioned his decision to embark on this journey, wondering if he had made the right choice. Despite his doubts, he pressed on, driven by a sense of curiosity and a desire to uncover the truth.

Ahead of him, the creatures began to exhibit subtle signs of fatigue, their movements slowing as if signaling a collective desire to halt their journey.

"Have we reached our destination?" Aeron pondered aloud, his voice barely audible amidst the din of pounding footsteps, though uncertainty lingered in his thoughts. Uncertainty gnawed at him; he couldn't fathom what had prompted this sudden change in their behavior. Desperate for answers, he attempted to gain a vantage point by leaping into the air, hoping to catch a glimpse of what lay ahead. Yet, all he saw was a sea of motionless creatures stretching into the distance, their enigmatic stillness adding to his growing unease.

"Is something unfolding at the forefront?" he wondered, his curiosity piqued by the ominous silence ahead.

Then, out of nowhere, a forceful shove jolted Aeron to the side. His gaze locked onto the imposing figure that had interrupted his thoughts. Towering above him, the creature exuded an aura of raw power. Its massive form, adorned with horns reminiscent of a buffalo's, and the piercing gaze of its four eyes marked it as a being of exceptional rarity. Instinctively, Aeron knew that this creature was born from a very rare egg, at least a purple egg. However, the creature remained focused on what lay ahead, completely ignoring Aeron.

The creature glanced over at Aeron when it sensed his lingering gaze. "What?" it asked, its voice deep and commanding. Aeron was taken aback, feeling a mix of surprise and fear. "Nothing," he replied quickly, not wanting to provoke the creature. The creature returned to its stoic demeanor, ignoring Aeron once more.

Aeron breathed a sigh of relief that the creature did not attack him. Reflecting on his previous encounter with the creature born from a black egg, which he had managed to kill through sheer luck despite its superior strength, Aeron realized that in a fair fight, he would have stood no chance against this new creature, born from a very rare egg, possibly a purple one. Despite noticing several wounds on the creature and a severe one on its stomach, Aeron understood that his current strength was no match for it.

The sound of war drums grew louder, accompanied by the deafening roars of millions of creatures around Aeron. The cacophony reverberated through the air, overpowering even the relentless beat of the drums. The powerful roars commanded attention, instilling a sense of awe in Aeron. After a while, the roars subsided, leaving an eerie silence in their wake.

Aeron heard the creature next to him say, "They have come," in a slow, cautious tone, as if he were afraid of being overheard by something ahead. Aeron, surprised and intrigued, couldn't contain his curiosity. He dared to ask the creature, "Sorry, who are 'they'?"

The creature turned to him with an annoyed look, but to Aeron's relief, it didn't act aggressively. Instead, it replied with pride, "They are our leaders, the nobles who will lead us to war. They are much stronger than us."

Questions flooded Aeron's mind: nobility, leaders, war? When the creature noticed Aeron's confusion, it remarked, "You are strange. You should have known basic things like this since hatching; this information is automatically ingrained in us." Aeron was taken aback. He had no idea that other beings received such basic information automatically. Could it be because he hatched too early?

Aeron fabricated a story in response, saying, "My head was hit hard during the earlier chaos, causing me to forget a lot of things." The creature frowned upon hearing his reply. "I don't understand what you mean," it said. Sensing the need to divert attention, Aeron quickly changed the subject by asking, "What are we supposed to do here, and what are we supposed to do with them?"

As the two of them spoke, the sound of war drums grew louder, filling the air with a sense of urgency. Suddenly, something amazing happened in Aeron's eyes, capturing his attention and momentarily distracting him from the conversation.

"There are a lot of flags there," remarked Aeron. The creature next to him responded, "There are countless nobles carrying various flags. Each flag indicates a different group that serves under a different, stronger power. Each flag also designates its leader based on his power or clan, or whatever." Aeron replied, "So?" The creature continued, "Don't interrupt. We all have to choose under which flag to serve. My advice is you must choose carefully because it will determine your fate. Hahaha," it laughed. "Although half of the flags can't be chosen at will; only the strong, born from a silver egg like us or above, can choose."

Aeron felt both puzzled and astonished. On one hand, the creature before him, whom he deemed exceedingly strong, had not hatched from a purple egg, but only a silver one. This led him to question the extent of power associated with purple, red, and black eggs, realizing there was a significant disparity between himself and them. On the other hand, he was taken aback by the creature's claim that it was born from a silver egg. "How can you say that I was born from a silver egg?" he asked, perplexed.

The creature retorted, "Well, obviously you are from a silver egg because you can speak, although I can feel that you are very weak for someone born from a silver egg." Aeron mentally noted this information. He understood that only silver eggs and above could speak, indicating some level of intelligence, unlike creatures born from yellow eggs and below, which acted like animals.

However, he was born from an egg that mixed seven colors. As they continued talking, all the creatures walked slowly to the front. Aeron, while walking, asked another question. "I saw a broken egg that mixed seven colors. What creature came from that egg?" 

"Seriously? You saw an egg like that?" the creature replied incredulously. "According to the information recorded in us, such an egg is deformed and very rarely hatches, with its existence being extremely rare. The last seven-color mixed egg that existed was 1000 years ago. If you see an egg or its creature, we need to kill it at all costs."

Aeron was taken aback. "Why?" he asked.

"I don't even know what's in our heads. We must kill the egg and its creature. Instinctively, we hate them," the creature explained. "But don't worry, I think the creature was killed when you saw the egg shell."

Aeron had many more questions he wanted to ask, but time was running out as the flags ahead became clearer with each step the creatures took. He spotted a large brown portal with a sizable flag mounted on it. Along the edges of each portal stood dozens of creatures, each far stronger than all of them combined. Aeron could sense that just one of these formidable beings could easily overpower dozens of the newly born creatures.

Aeron noticed the symbols or logos on the flags. Some of them depicted creatures or forms, such as minotaurs, snakes, goblins, ogres, swords, spears, bows, and more. Others were complex mixtures of forms that he did not understand.

He could see that most of these newly born creatures were choosing the flag that represented their type. Those in the shape of snakes were selecting flags with a snake logo, and those resembling monkeys were choosing flags with a monkey-shaped logo. However, he noticed that some were not following the majority.

"What flag will you choose?" Aeron asked, aware that they were just a few hundred lines away from their turn to choose. He had observed that creatures that were slow in choosing and moving were at risk of being targeted by the stronger creatures ahead.

The creature who had already walked a long distance with him replied, "I chose the flag with the shape of a black flame, representing the group known as the Black Flame." "Why?" Aeron asked. "Because they serve under a strong viscount," the creature explained.

"Viscount?" Aeron exclaimed, but before he could ask another question, they had already reached the fifth row and had to make a choice. Aeron couldn't do anything else as the creature had already started moving towards the flag it wanted.

"Thank you," Aeron said to the creature. The creature turned towards him and commented, "You are a strange one." Aeron felt somewhat grateful that this creature was quite talkative and had answered all of his questions.

As Aeron observed the various flags, he realized that he already had a preference in mind when he spotted the logo. Despite the uncertainty and risk involved in his choices, given his lack of knowledge about any of the flags, Aeron decided to select the flag he was familiar with—the only one featuring the image of an ant. This particular flag stood out with its striking combination of colors: a black background adorned with a vivid red ant image, highlighted by a golden border.

Under the ant logo, there was a mysterious inscription in an unfamiliar script, yet Aeron could decipher it. The writing revealed the words "Monomorium Ant Unit 9850." As Aeron observed, only creatures shaped like ants were converging toward this particular flag portal, indicating that it was exclusively chosen by beings of that form. No other species seemed to be drawn to this unique flag.

However, the sheer size of the dozens of ant portal guards demanded attention. Each guard stood as tall as Aeron on their six legs, their imposing stature hinting at their formidable strength. Despite their ant-like appearance, Aeron could feel that these creatures possessed a power that far surpassed his own, capable of effortlessly overpowering him.

The reason why Aeron chose ants is because his hobby is to observe the behavior of ants. He even made ants his pet in his past life. Therefore, Aeron thought that knowing a little something about ants gave him an advantage under the flag. he was one of those who did not choose to serve under a flag that resembled his own.

Aeron's fascination with ants, cultivated through his hobby of observing their behavior and even keeping them as pets in his past life, led him to choose the flag featuring an ant emblem. He believed that his deep understanding of ants would give him an edge under this particular flag. Unlike others who chose flags reflecting their own characteristics, Aeron deliberately opted for a different path.

Among other reasons, Aeron chose the ant flag because the ants under this flag were relatively small in size, approximately as big as Aeron's head. This size factor made him feel more secure compared to larger creatures. He harbored a fear of choosing flags that appeared terrifying or unfamiliar, a concern heightened by the warning about the mixed egg of seven colors. Aeron was wary of being targeted for his egg color and sought to avoid being killed unexpectedly.

Aeron walked carefully towards the flag, mindful not to step on the ants who shared his purpose. These ants predominantly emerged from white eggs, indicating their weaker nature, yet their overwhelming numbers were daunting. Aeron had single-handedly dealt with various types of ants when breaking the eggs and amid the chaos that ensued.

Therefore, there were no ants that could speak like him. However, Aeron also noticed that some ants were slightly different from the majority, either in terms of shape, color, size, or the patterns on their bodies. These variations were very rare, yet despite their uniqueness, these ants still couldn't speak.

Aeron joins the queue, though it's more of a disorganized gathering than a proper line. He observes hundreds of ants patiently waiting their turn to enter the portal, knowing that only a few dozen can proceed at a time.

Aeron paused to study the blue portal, sensing its gentle suction. An irritating "hmmmm" sound emanated from the portal. Suddenly, he felt a forceful blow to his head, causing him to turn and see a guard ant behind him. The ant nudged him forward, indicating that he should not stop walking. Aeron was surprised by the ant's strength and the fact that it either couldn't speak or chose not to.

Preferring to avoid trouble, Aeron continued walking. Eventually, it was his turn to enter the portal. "I hope I made the right choice," he muttered as he stepped through.