Evolution begins with an ant colony

The kingin ruler's eyes widened in shock, as he coughed up blood, his body twitching in agony. Akun's hand emerged from the other side of Phenor's body, blood dripping from it like a blood offering to the forest floor.

Keleora, who had been watching the gruesome scene unfold from a safe distance, couldn't contain her horror. Her voice trembled as she exclaimed, "Father!" She was pinned to the wall of a building by arrows, the pain coming from her wounds was a cruel reminder of her helplessness. Nearby, Oliver watched with fascination, he grined menacingly from the rooftop, his hazel eyes gleaming in the moonlight.

"Hush now, miss," Oliver said with a twisted grin, gesturing for her to be silent. "You are spoiling the show. It's starting to get really good."

Tears streamed down Keleora's face as she witnessed her father's suffering, her heart heavy with a mixture of despair and anger. The battle had taken a dire turn, and the once-proud kingin ruler now hung in the merciless grip of Akun, his agony was a clear display of the ruthlessness of the evolved ant monarch.

Phenor, weakened and coughing up blood, heard his daughter's voice and turned his head slowly to look at her. His eyes, once filled with regal authority, softened as he saw the tears streaming down her cheeks.

A faint smile tugged at the corners of his lips. In the midst of his pain and despair, his thoughts raced to better times, to memories of his beloved daughter.

"My little star," he murmured faintly, his voice laced with both pride and love. Despite the dire circumstances, he couldn't help but feel a surge of warmth seeing her alive and well. But his feeble chuckle quickly turned into a fit of painful coughing, fresh blood staining his lips.

Turning his gaze back to Akun, Phenor realized the harsh reality of his situation.

He couldn't win this battle, not in his current state. The injuries he had sustained were too severe, and his strength was waning. But he couldn't simply accept defeat, not after a lifetime of striving to be the ruler his father had taught him to be.

He had always followed those lessons - to be a proper ruler, to suppress his emotions, to lead through example, to be ruthless and cold, even to his own family. He believed that such a demeanor was necessary in the unforgiving world they inhabited, a way to toughen his children mentally, but it had also deprived them of his love.

Phenor's thoughts raced as he considered his family, his daughter, and his wife, Memorina. Throughout his reign, he had been caught up in one battle after another, leaving him with little time to show affection or warmth to those closest to him. He didn't want to die like this, defeated and alone.

Meanwhile, in the throne room, Memorina watched in despair from a window as her husband lay dying. Tears streamed down her face as she witnessed his agony. The sight of his suffering spurred her into action. Despite her lack of combat experience, she couldn't bear to see him die alone.

Love fueled her as she made a choice: she would rush to his side, offering whatever support she could, even if it meant facing the horrors of the battlefield.

Akun slowly pulled his hand out from Phenor's abdomen, a cruel grin etched across his face as the kingin ruler coughed up more blood. With his blood flowing freely, Phenor's vision began to dim, the world around him fading into darkness.

He could feel the encroaching grasp of death.

Amidst his fading consciousness, Phenor heard a desperate cry, a voice that pierced through the haze of his pain and despair. "Phenor!" It was his wife, Memorina, her anguished voice cutting through the chaos of battle. She was running toward him and Akun, her face wet with tears.

Akun's cruel tone broke through Phenor's haze. "Looks like someone has decided to join party," he taunted.

In that fleeting moment, Phenor's resolve crystallized. He knew he had failed as a father and a husband, never truly being there for his family. But he couldn't let them die here, not without attempting one final act of sacrifice.

With a sudden burst of strength, Phenor drove his right hand into his own chest, shattering his ribcage and gripping his own heart.

Akun, momentarily perplexed by this action, asked. "What is this? Is your pride so much you would rather end your life than to be at the mercy of an insect?"

But Phenor had other plans. As his strength waned and he gasped for air as he spoke, "To he who rules over the underworld, the one who guides souls over the river of Styx. The being who embodies death itself... Lord Xalender, god of death, I call upon you." As he said those words, time seemed to freeze around him, the world losing its color, and a ghostly figure emerged behind Akun.

This figure was Xalender, the god of death. Cloaked in tattered black robes with a hood obscuring his skeletal face, he emanated an eerie presence. His voice was calm, yet it sent shivers down Phenor's spine as he declared, "Make your offering, oh chosen child of Dyraxis, and I shall fulfill your request based on the contract."

Phenor, his voice faint but determined, stated his terms, "I shall offer up myself, and all of my fallen kin. All that I ask is that you protect my wife and daughter."

Xalender's skeletal face revealed no emotion as he replied, "I cannot fulfill such a wish, young one. The god of death does not safeguard life. I ask that you make another."

Phenor's thoughts raced as he considered his request to the god of death. He knew the consequences of his plea could be dire, but he saw no other way to ensure his family's safety.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

After a moment of thought, he spoke with a voice that wavered only slightly due to his deteriorating condition, "I-I ask that you kill Akun, the Ant Monarch."

Xalender, the god of death, regarded Phenor with hollow eyes. "Very well," he said in his chilling, bone-dry voice. "The contract is sealed."