Everyone passed out the moment they stopped moving.

Ylva collapsed onto a patch of grass near the edge of the clearing, her tail curling around her legs, her breathing evening out within seconds. Mae leaned against a fallen log, her head drooping forward, her brown eyes closing mid-blink. Thalion sat with his back against a tree, his silver hair spilling over his face, his pale hands resting limp in his lap.

Even Kaelen, Helga, and Mira—who had parted ways with Jason’s group at the base of the mountain—had looked ready to drop where they stood before trudging off toward their own camp.

They were that exhausted.

The crawl had nearly claimed their lives. Every muscle ached. Every joint screamed. The adrenaline that had carried them through the collapsing tunnels, the spiders, the queen, the ant king’s emergence—it had all drained away, leaving behind nothing but bone-deep fatigue.

But the ant king did not sleep.

Throughout the entire night, the creature stood at Jason’s side—small, still, his red chitin barely visible in the darkness. His black and gold eyes never closed. Never blinked nor wavered.

He just stared at Jason without moving an inch.

Because Jason was his entire reason for existence. The system had seen to that. Dominion wasn’t just control—it was purpose. The ant king had been born from Jason’s body, fed on Jason’s essence, and imprinted on Jason’s very soul.

He had this extreme loyalty to Jason right now.

It could be a blessing. A weapon, a shield that nothing could pierce.

Or it could be a problem in the future. Loyalty that extreme had a way of turning sour when expectations weren’t met. When commands weren’t understood or when the line between protector and prison blurred.

But regardless, Jason was the safest he would ever be. As of right now.

-

The sun rose in the distance, painting the sky in shades of gold and pink. Birds chirped and wind rustled the leaves. The world carried on, indifferent to the horrors that had transpired beneath the mountain.

Everyone woke up late.

Ylva stirred first, her golden eyes cracking open, her body protesting every movement. Her muscles felt like they had been wrung out and hung to dry. Her joints popped as she stretched.

Mae groaned beside her, rolling onto her back. "I feel like I was trampled."

"You were trampled," Ylva said. "By a cave."

"Feels accurate," Mae responded with a giggle.

Thalion didn’t move. His silver hair still covered his face. His chest rose and fell in slow, even breaths.

Jason sat up, wincing. His bruises had bruises. His cuts had scabbed over but nothing was broken. Nothing was infected. He had survived.

He looked down at the ant king.

The creature hadn’t moved. It was still standing in the exact same spot and staring right at Jason.

"Good morning to you too," Jason muttered.

The ant king tilted his head. His mandibles clicked twice.

Mae pushed herself upright, her hand pressed against her chest. Her brown eyes were tired, but focused.

"I need to produce more milk," she said. "To heal everyone. But I need strength to do it. It takes a lot out of me."

Jason nodded. "Then rest. Don’t push yourself."

"The scratches aren’t serious. A few bruises here and there." Mae yawned. "Nothing that won’t heal on its own."

"Then we let it heal on its own." Jason stood up, stretching his arms above his head. His spine cracked. "No rushing the healing process."

Ylva snorted. "Since when do you care about rushing?"

"Since I almost died. Multiple times." Jason looked around the clearing. "Where’s Thalion?"

Ylva’s ears twitched. She scanned the tree line. Her nose flared.

"He’s not here," she said.

Jason’s stomach dropped.

Mae stood up, her hooves pressing into the grass. "What do you mean he’s not here?"

Ylva walked to the tree where Thalion had been sitting. The grass was flattened. The bark was scuffed. But the elf was gone despite his scent being strong.

He had abandoned his clothes to trick her nose.

"He left," Ylva said.

Jason’s jaw tightened. "He wouldn’t just leave."

"Look."

Ylva bent down and picked up a folded piece of parchment wedged between two roots. She held it out to Jason.

He took it, unfolded it, and read.

[[Jason,

Thank you for everything, for freeing me from that castle. For giving me a reason to keep going. For treating me like a person when everyone else saw a monster.

But I cannot stay.

Tauriel is watching. I can feel it. A faint presence in the back of my mind. She has been there since the mark was placed on my neck. I don’t know how to stop it. I can’t see the mark. I can’t remove it. It’s extreme magic—she transferred a piece of her soul into mine.

She is not watching me.

She is watching you.

I will not be the reason she finds you. I will not be the tool she uses to destroy the only person who ever showed me kindness.

Do not look for me.

—Thalion]]

Jason read the letter twice. Then a third time because he didn’t understand why Thalion would make this choice on his own.

There was no reason for him to do this either as they were stronger as a unit.

He handed it to Ylva without saying a word.

She read it. Her ears flattened. Her tail went still.

"He’s an idiot," she said.

"He’s trying to protect us," Jason fired back.

"He’s going to get himself killed," Ylva hated that she was worried even though it wasn’t nearly on the same scale as she would be Jason, of course.

Jason looked at the ant king. The creature met his gaze. His black and gold eyes blinked slowly.

"Ylva," Jason said. "Can you track him?"

Ylva shook her head. "His scent is faint. He’s been masking it. Magic, probably." She paused. "And even if I could track him, he knows ways of throwing me off," She said, staring at the piece of abandoned clothes he had left behind.

Jason looked at the ant king again without saying a word.

The creature understood.

There was no telepathy. No speech. No magic connection beyond the system’s dominion. But the ant king could read body language, sense intent, and understand commands without words.

And he could track.

The ant king had the characteristics of multiple insects and races. Chitin from spiders. Limbs from beetles. Eyes from something older than all of them here. And mixed into that genetic soup were traits that helped with tracking—scent, vibration, heat signature, and things Jason didn’t have words for.

There was no way in hell Thalion could hide from him.

Jason crouched down to the ant king’s level.

"I know where you want to go," Jason said quietly. "But not yet." He could tell this thing understood him, but it looked like this form was incapable of speech, at least not yet.

The ant king tilted his head.

"We need to refresh ourselves first. Eat. Clean up. Get our strength back." Jason stood up. "We can’t do much on an empty stomach." Jason knew rushing forward in their current state was suicide.

Ylva crossed her arms. "So we’re going after him?"

"We’re going to find him. Eventually." Jason looked at Mae. "How long until you’re fully rested?"

Mae shrugged. "A day. Maybe two."

"Then we rest for a day. Maybe two." Jason turned to Ylva. "Get everything we need ready. Supplies. Food. Water. Anything we might need for a longer journey."

Ylva’s green eyes narrowed. "And what will you be doing?"

Jason stretched again. "Freshening up. I haven’t bathed in days. I smell like spider guts and regret."

"You always smell like regret," Ylva rolled her eyes.

"Fair point." Jason said with a chuckle.

-

The inn they found on the edge of town had a mixed shower. Co-ed. Communal. The kind of place where adventurers washed off the grime of their crawls without worrying about modesty.

Jason didn’t care. He was too exhausted to be self-conscious.

The ladies agreed to his plan—Ylva would gather supplies, Mae would rest, and Jason would wash off the last few days.

They couldn’t do much on an empty stomach after all.

Jason walked toward the shower room, the ant king following close behind. The creature’s claws clicked against the wooden floor. His black and gold eyes scanned the hallway but Jason told it to return to the others, Mae to be exact and protect her as she was the weakest amongst them.

The showers were empty. Rarely used, the innkeeper had said. Most adventurers preferred to wash in rivers or pay extra for private baths.

Jason pushed open the door.

Steam billowed out. It was warm and soothing.

He stepped inside without a second thought.

Jason turned toward the showers.

The water was hot. The steam was thick. And for the first time in days, he was alone or so he thought, he didn’t see the figure standing in his blind spot.