The Cycle... {Short Story Part 3} {Final Part} {ANNOUNCEMENT}
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||Short Recap||
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*Sigh~*
"... I too... want to see her..., but is there any use to having such anger? Such sadness? Such... frustrations? ...You and Shouri are just so... infatuated..." Muerte said.
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"Shouri... how is she..." Guerra asked as she focused on Muerte, seemingly waiting for the details.
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"... Shouri is not doing very well these days. Since laying her brood, she has become less agile..., and spends most of her time in her nest. Despite this, her mind seems to be preoccupied with thoughts of longing, just like yours... I believe she has been drawing murals on the walls of her nest to keep herself occupied." Muerte's tone conveyed her worry for Shouri's condition.
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Guerra simply nodded at her words...
"Mn... why are you even here, anyway? ...is it already time...?"
Hearing this, Muerte simply nodded as she began to walk slowly, signaling for Guerra to follow along...
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The two insect queens, Muerte and Guerra, walked through a dark tunnel that was round and wide enough to fit a sixteen-wheeler truck. As they walked, they could hear the faint scurrying of other insects around them. The tunnel was long and winding, and the dim light emanating from the walls made it even more eerie.
Every tenth year, the four insect queen sisters would gather together in the underground chamber that had been their home for a long time. The chamber was massive and filled with countless tunnels and passageways that led to other parts of the underground network. This was the place where their mother, the Primordial Insect, had laid the foundations for each of them. The walls were adorned with intricate carvings and symbols, each representing a different aspect of their history and culture.
"A gathering shall proceed as it always had..., but for now, we shall do so in Shouri's chambers..." Muerte announced as she quietly changed directions in the winding tunnels, unbothered.
"Mnn..." Guerra acquiesced, breaking the silence as they continued to walk. "You know... it's funny how through the millennia we were guided by the bestowed memories Mother gave us... and through that guidance, we have attained the something that every monster wishes to have, a symbol of great power and status... a {Demon Lord Seed}..."
Muerta was silent for a moment as she gave her one cent on the matter.
"Yes, all four of us have it... but don't you think it is only natural...?" Muerta asked as she continued. "I mean, we've been alive since the early stages of creation. We have fulfilled the goal Mother has given us; we have spread our race to every corner of the world..., but as her direct descendants, even with enough souls, we still need Mother's permission to advance further..." Muerta smiled bitterly at the situation, knowing that they were still subject to their mother's will despite all they had accomplished.
A fleeting thought that questioned their independence washed over Muerta... though hopefully, was a mere shallow thought that does not blossom into something far more dangerous...
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Guerra just followed along silently without giving a reply...
It was only during this time every decade that her unruly and angry personality was whittled down into something so weak... so timid... like a lost child waiting for her mother... a truly unbefitting image of someone known as {The Matriarch of Blood}...
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"We have arrived..." Muerte declared solemnly as they entered a vast, cavernous chamber.
It was a subterranean space, with carvings of old legends adorning the walls. These carvings depicted the Primordial Insect, a powerful and authoritative figure; The Mother of All Insects... Alongside her were her four daughters. Each one, portrayed in a tyrannical and haughty manner as they loomed over those beyond the mural walls. Guerra [Queen of Ants], Muerte [Queen of Wasps], Shouri [Queen of Termites], and Uria [Queen of Bees]...
The ancient carvings were more than just depictions of power, however. The Primordial Insect was also portrayed as a loving mother; her daughters were shown as her beloved children, whom she doted on with great affection.
The carvings on the walls conveyed a deep sense of devotion and respect for the Primordial Insect; filled with reverence and longing. It spoke of her immense wisdom, her divine power, and, most strikingly, her love for her insect queen daughters. According to the carvings, the Primordial Insect had even carved out this subterranean chamber herself for her daughters to live in, demonstrating her deep sense of affection for them.
However, one would soon realize that these stories on the walls were not entirely true... They were a finely crafted message, a tale of history long forgotten, love, and a story of make-believe... made by Shouri...
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The vast cavernous space was silent, except for the distant sound of dripping water. Guerra and Muerte stood in awe as they stared at the ancient murals on the walls. Suddenly, a voice resounded through the chamber, startling them out of their daze.
"Greetings, sisters... It's been a while..." the voice said slowly and hoarsely, as if tired.
At first, they did not know where the voice was coming from until they noticed the tall throne made of dirt in the center of the cave that they had overlooked. The voice was originating from the throne.
They approached the throne at a relaxed and leisurely pace... Standing only a few meters from the throne, the two saw a figure sitting on it, high and lofty.
It was Shouri. She was adorned in a tattered golden dress, with white hair that was long like spider's silk, covering her face and draping along the throne made of dirt. Around her, scrying insects could be seen tending to her "needs". Her voice was weak, and her eyes were covered by her long hair, veiling her features...
[Img here]
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"Ah~ it's nice to see you again after so long, my dear sisters... As you can see, my morphology isn't the best suited for movement~," Shouri joked as she laughed at herself for a bit before continuing "I'm sorry if I haven't been attending the decennial gatherings recently..." Shouri said apologetically...
Guerra and Muerte simply hummed as they nodded, feeling an incoming presence... Well, not only a presence, as a resounding voice could be heard from the chamber as it drew closer.
*sigh...* [3x]
'She's here...' the three thought, a mixture of annoyance and also amusement...
The buzzing drew closer as they saw a figure flying along the tunnels just outside the chamber. She was followed by an entourage of insects buzzing about and surrounding her...
"Shush! Shush! Go back to the hive first. Spare me the details of those bickering couples for later, yeah? ~. Only I am allowed to enter here, buzz along now~" the voice quipped before finally entering the chambers and coming closer.
"Hi!~" A loud and resounding voice, sticky and sweet; it was Uria.
She was adorned in a weird mesh-like armor; it was supposedly a piece of equipment made by her subjects by eating up magisteel and mixing it with their intrinsic ability to produce honey... apparently, it was just like regular magisteel armor but smelled like sweet and floral honey...
[Img here]
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"Mn... We shall commence the gathe-" Guerra's words were interrupted as an oppressing aura appeared out of nowhere. The aura was seething with anger and worry..., yet weirdly enough, felt all too familiar...
"WHERE ARE MY EGGS?!!" The voice boomed in surprise and anger as shockwaves shook the underground chamber; dust and debris falling on the four insect queens' heads...
Shouri, despite her morphology as queen of termites, hurriedly got off her throne and scurried faster than her other sisters; running, crawling, and wriggling her limbs and abdomen all at once, her face seemed exhilarated yet also anxious that whoever that voice came from... would disappear once more. So she frantically scurried to the source; a place even they do not dare to enter in fear that they might ruin it with their presence; their sacred chamber, the chamber they were born in.
Leaving her surprised and dazed sisters behind... The three stared dumbfounded at Shouri's disappearing figure as these events transpired... Shouri's agility made even her other sisters question their own speed.
Nonetheless, without a second thought, the other three also began to run frantically to the source... Like insects to a flame, mesmerized by its beauty, they went closer despite the ominous and oppressive aura...
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Side story is completed~ we shall go back to the main one, but I'll still do POV shifts now and then...
ALSO ANNOUNCEMENT: TAGS ARE TO BE CHANGED, no longer harem, it will have 1 ML but will still have romance and extremely explicit smut in later chapters, it's still early into the novel so that's still a bit far though~
Love ya'll! <3< p>